BUNIA, DR Congo — Communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are facing mounting fear as a deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread, with suspected deaths rising and health officials warning they are struggling to contain the virus.
In the gold-mining town of Rwampara, a young taxi rider summed up the mood: “Ebola has tortured us. People are dying very fast. We are really afraid.”
Authorities say the outbreak may have been circulating undetected before it was first flagged on April 24. The presumed index case was a nurse in Bunia, who was buried in Mongwalu, now the epicenter of the crisis. Most suspected cases have been reported in Mongwalu and neighboring Rwampara.
As of Tuesday, officials reported 514 suspected infections and 136 deaths, with one fatality also recorded in Uganda. Cases have spread to Butembo, Goma, and South Kivu, raising concerns about transmission in large urban centers.
Health Minister Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba admitted that teams are “playing catch-up,” noting that community alerts only began on May 8. “We really need to look within the community to understand what happened, how people became ill and sometimes even died without any report being filed,” he said.
The outbreak has been identified as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rarer species that previously caused outbreaks in 2007 and 2012. Unlike the more familiar Zaïre strain, Bundibugyo can present with less obvious symptoms, often mistaken for malaria, delaying diagnosis and allowing silent spread.
Local beliefs have complicated the response. In Mongwalu, some deaths were attributed to witchcraft, with residents referring to a “coffin phenomenon”, the idea that anyone who touched a coffin would also die.
International aid groups warn the outbreak is unfolding in a region already destabilized by conflict and displacement. Save the Children described it as “a new massive crisis on top of an already difficult situation,” noting that healthcare systems are severely compromised.
Despite the declaration of the outbreak, Bunia, Butembo, and Goma, cities with hundreds of thousands of residents, still lack fully operational treatment centers. In Goma, residents say basic public health measures such as mask-wearing and handwashing are widely ignored.
The United States has announced S13 million in emergency assistance for DR Congo and Uganda, while the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after confirmed cases were reported on May 15.
Among those infected is an American doctor who tested positive while working at Nyakunde Hospital in Ituri. He has since been evacuated to Germany for treatment, while several other exposed Americans are awaiting evacuation.
This marks DR Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak. Authorities say they are relying on hard-learned lessons from past crises, but the Bundibugyo strain’s stealthy spread and the region’s instability present daunting challenges.
