The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concern over the “scale and speed” of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where health authorities estimate at least 131 deaths and more than 500 suspected cases.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation was deeply worried about the rapid escalation of infections, as the outbreak continues to spread across multiple provinces and into neighbouring countries.
The WHO has declared the surge an international public health emergency, the second-highest alert level under international health regulations, and is expected to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis.
Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said on national television that approximately 131 deaths and 513 suspected cases have been recorded so far, although not all deaths have been officially confirmed as Ebola-related.
He added that many cases are still based on community reports due to limited laboratory testing in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine or specific treatment is currently available. The virus has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past 50 years.
Health officials say the epicentre is in northeastern Ituri province, near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan, a region characterised by mining activity, population movement and ongoing armed conflict.
Authorities have also confirmed suspected cases in Butembo and Goma, while Uganda has reported two confirmed cases in Kampala, including one death involving individuals who travelled from the DRC.
In addition, a United States citizen has tested positive for Ebola following exposure linked to work in the DRC, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with plans underway for treatment in Germany.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has declared the outbreak a continental public health emergency, enabling the mobilisation of emergency response teams and surveillance support.
Tedros said 30 confirmed cases have been identified in Ituri province alone, warning that delayed reporting and community misconceptions have worsened the spread.
“Unfortunately, the alert was slow to circulate within the community because people believed it was a mystical illness, and as a result, patients were not taken to hospital,” Kamba said.
The US has also tightened screening measures for travellers from affected regions and temporarily suspended visa services linked to outbreak response efforts.
Ebola, first identified in 1976 and believed to originate in bats, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. The current outbreak is the 17th recorded in the DRC.