By Ayomide Otitoju
An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed more than 80 people, with health authorities warning that there is no vaccine for the strain currently circulating.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday that 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases of the highly infectious haemorrhagic fever had been recorded.
In response, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” the second-highest alert level under international health regulations.
Health officials said the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a variant first identified in 2007. The strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment and is believed to have a fatality rate of up to 50 per cent.
DRC Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba warned that the virus presents a serious threat, noting that infections are spreading rapidly and that patients are often dying at home due to limited isolation facilities.
He said the outbreak was first detected after a nurse in Ituri province’s capital, Bunia, presented symptoms consistent with Ebola on April 24, marking the suspected index case.
The outbreak has since spread within northeastern DRC and crossed into neighbouring Uganda, where a Congolese national has also died, according to officials.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it was preparing a large-scale response, describing the situation as “extremely concerning” amid rising case numbers and geographic spread.
MSF emergency programme manager Trish Newport said the speed of transmission across multiple health zones and into a neighbouring country signals a potentially wider crisis.
The WHO said uncertainties remain over the true scale of the outbreak, warning that the number of cases is likely underreported. It cited the high positivity rate of initial tests and increasing suspected cases as indicators of wider transmission.
The global health body, however, stopped short of declaring a full pandemic emergency, the highest alert level introduced in 2024.
Ebola, which is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, causes severe symptoms including fever, vomiting and internal bleeding. Patients are only contagious once symptoms appear, with an incubation period of up to 21 days.
The DRC, which is experiencing its 17th Ebola outbreak, has previously recorded some of the deadliest epidemics, including a 2018–2020 outbreak that killed nearly 2,300 people.
Health experts warn that weak infrastructure, limited access to remote communities and ongoing insecurity in parts of the country could further complicate containment efforts.
