The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its risk assessment for the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to “very high”, as infections spread across eastern provinces and into neighbouring Uganda amid growing security and humanitarian concerns.
Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola have been recorded in eastern DRC, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Two confirmed cases had initially been detected in Uganda, before authorities there announced three additional infections on Saturday, bringing the country’s total to five.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, warning that late detection, the lack of an approved vaccine or virus-specific treatment, armed violence and population movement are accelerating the risk of wider transmission.
Authorities in Ituri province, one of the worst-affected areas, announced strict new measures on Friday after residents in Rwampara clashed with police while attempting to recover the body of an Ebola victim for a traditional funeral wake.
The provincial government banned funeral wakes, restricted public gatherings to 50 people, suspended the local football league and ordered that burials only be conducted by specialised medical teams.
Officials also prohibited the transportation of bodies in non-medical vehicles in an effort to prevent further infections.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, and the bodies of victims remain highly infectious after death. Unsafe burials, where relatives wash or handle bodies without protective equipment, are considered one of the leading causes of transmission.
“The virus spreads very easily during funeral practices,” said Laura Archer, lead for clinical care and public health emergencies at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The first known case in the current outbreak died in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the DRC, on 24 April. Health officials said the virus spread further after mourners touched the victim’s body during a funeral in Mongbwalu.
The IFRC on Saturday paid tribute to three volunteers believed to have contracted Ebola while handling bodies during humanitarian operations before the outbreak was officially identified.
The volunteers, Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo and Alikana Udumusi Augustin, were working in Mongbwalu in northeastern Congo and died between 5 and 16 May.
“These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity,” the IFRC said in a statement.
Aid organisations have also intensified door-to-door campaigns to combat misinformation surrounding Ebola, which officials say is hampering containment efforts.
“There’s a lot of misinformation on the ground, so that’s another epidemic by itself,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi said.
Uganda’s health ministry confirmed on Saturday that two of its newest Ebola cases were linked directly to the country’s first confirmed patient, including a driver and a healthcare worker involved in treatment.
The third confirmed case involved a Congolese woman who entered Uganda with mild symptoms before later testing positive after returning to Congo.
Authorities said all known contacts are now being monitored closely.
Meanwhile, Rwanda announced new border restrictions, saying it would deny entry to foreign nationals who had travelled through DRC within the past 30 days, while returning residents would face mandatory quarantine.
The WHO has urged countries to keep borders open, warning that closures could encourage informal crossings and complicate aid delivery.
The outbreak is unfolding amid ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, where dozens of armed groups remain active.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls large areas of territory, including cities where Ebola cases have been detected. On Friday, an M23-appointed governor in North Kivu suspended public transport between Goma and Butembo, another affected area near Ituri province.
The current crisis has revived memories of Congo’s 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak, the second deadliest on record, which killed nearly 2,300 people and saw repeated attacks on treatment centres and health workers.
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the UN was releasing around $60 million in emergency funding to support the response effort.
“We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak,” Fletcher wrote on X.
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