The World Health Organization warned on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with 220 suspected deaths reported so far.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said delayed detection of Ebola cases had forced responders to “play catch-up”, warning that the situation was expected to worsen before improving.
Addressing an African Union meeting, Tedros said more than 900 suspected Ebola cases had been identified, including 101 confirmed infections.
The WHO has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a public health emergency of international concern, citing the absence of an approved vaccine or virus-specific treatment.
Infections continue to spread across eastern Congo and into neighbouring Uganda, which has now confirmed seven Ebola cases after reporting two new infections on Monday.
Tedros warned that countries bordering the DRC remained at high risk and urged immediate preparedness measures.
He said containing the fast-moving outbreak was complicated by insecurity in Congo’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces, as well as the lack of approved vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus.
Tedros said he would travel to Congo - the epicentre of the outbreak - on Tuesday alongside Chikwe Ihekweazu, the WHO official responsible for health emergencies in Africa.
Authorities in Ituri province, one of the worst-affected areas, introduced strict emergency measures after clashes erupted in Rwampara, where residents attempted to recover the body of an Ebola victim for a traditional funeral wake.
Officials banned funeral wakes, limited public gatherings to 50 people, suspended the local football league, and ordered that burials be conducted only by specialised medical teams.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, while the bodies of victims remain highly infectious after death. Health officials said unsafe funeral practices had significantly contributed to the spread of the current outbreak.
“The virus spreads very easily during funeral practices,” said Laura Archer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The outbreak’s first known patient died in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, on 24 April. Authorities said the virus spread further after mourners handled the victim’s body during a funeral in Mongbwalu.
Doctors and aid workers operating in eastern Congo are also facing violence, supply shortages and growing public distrust.
At least three attacks on health facilities have been reported in Ituri province, including two incidents over the weekend targeting the same hospital and allowing more than two dozen patients to flee.
The violence has revived memories of the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, during which more than 25 health workers were killed in attacks on treatment centres.
Medical officials said misinformation and denial about Ebola remained widespread among local communities.
“There is denial of the disease within the population,” said Dr Richard Lokodu, director of Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital.
Aid organisations have intensified door-to-door awareness campaigns to combat false information surrounding the outbreak.
“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 said some of its latest Ebola infections involved close contacts of the country’s first confirmed case, including a healthcare worker and a driver involved in patient transport.
Authorities in Rwanda also introduced new border restrictions, saying foreign nationals who had recently travelled through the DRC would be denied entry, while returning residents would face quarantine measures.
The WHO has urged countries to avoid broad border closures, warning that restrictions could encourage informal crossings and complicate humanitarian access.
The outbreak is unfolding amid ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, where armed groups continue to operate across affected regions.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls parts of North Kivu province, including areas where Ebola cases have been detected. Authorities in rebel-controlled territory have already suspended transport links between several affected cities.
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced around $60 million in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
“We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak,” Fletcher wrote on X.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "g...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a productive meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with talks f...
The diplomatic dispute over France's overseas territories is widening, with pro-independence leaders in the Caribbean and the Pacific rejecting claims...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that there is a good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, but warned that Washington would resume military operation if negotiations fail.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior Iranian source told on Sunday.
The Russia-Ukraine war is increasingly reshaping the Caspian region. From threats to energy infrastructure to renewed diplomatic efforts, countries across the region are adapting to the wider consequences of a conflict that continues to disrupt trade, transport and security.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
A New York school district has put plans to introduce a humanoid robot into classrooms on hold after fierce criticism from teachers, Indigenous community members and state education officials over the use of artificial intelligence in schools.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a productive meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with talks focusing on air defence cooperation and efforts to advance diplomatic negotiations.
The diplomatic dispute over France's overseas territories is widening, with pro-independence leaders in the Caribbean and the Pacific rejecting claims by French lawmakers that Azerbaijan is interfering in France's internal affairs.
U.S. diplomats walked out of a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine after accusing France of making "disingenuous grandstanding" by comparing Washington with North Korea, Russia and other authoritarian states.
Meteorologists in China have used a swarm of drones to observe Typhoon Noul as it passed through Guangdong province, aiming to improve weather monitoring and forecasting during extreme storms.
Tehran has stressed that its commercial vessel hit by a Ukrainian drone in the Caspian Sea on Saturday was carrying only civilian cargo and vowed to respond appropriately while holding Kyiv responsible for the attack.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment