According to the latest update from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak has already caused 88 deaths and more than 336 suspected infections.
Concerns intensified after health authorities confirmed a new Ebola case in Goma, one of eastern Congo’s largest cities, raising fears that the outbreak could expand into neighboring regions and countries.
Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, stated that the newly confirmed patient was the wife of a man who died from Ebola in Bunia and had traveled to Goma while already infected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed “deep concern” over the rising number of cases, describing the situation as a public health emergency of international concern.
Although the organization has not yet declared a full global pandemic emergency, its highest alert level, it has elevated the outbreak to the second-highest international warning level under global health regulations.
Doctors Without Borders announced preparations for a large-scale emergency response, warning that the rapid spread of infections is “extremely concerning,” especially given the limited healthcare infrastructure and difficult access to affected areas.
Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba confirmed that the current Ebola strain, known as “Bundibugyo,” currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, adding that the mortality rate could reach 50%.
Symptoms of Ebola include severe fever, bleeding, and vomiting, while the virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. Scientists believe the disease originally crossed into humans from bats.
Health officials said the current outbreak began after a nurse in Bunia developed Ebola-like symptoms in late April before the virus spread further.
The World Health Organization also warned that the actual number of infections may be significantly higher than officially reported due to limited testing and difficulties accessing remote regions.
This marks the seventeenth Ebola outbreak recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the virus was first identified in 1976. Over the past five decades, Ebola has killed approximately 15,000 people across Africa.
