Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo – When three members of his hospital team died within days of treating the same patient, Dr Richard Lokudu suspected Ebola had been spreading before authorities detected the outbreak. The patient had arrived at Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri Province for surgery in early April, weeks before the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola outbreak. Three months after authorities declared the outbreak, more than 4,900 confirmed cases have been recorded, and more than 2,300 people have died, according to health authorities and international agencies.
The death toll has surpassed the previous record set during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak, caused by the Zaire strain, which killed 2,299 people. The current outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a rare form of Ebola first identified in Uganda in 2007. Unlike the Zaire strain, for which vaccines and some treatments have been developed, there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific approved therapies for Bundibugyo.
Health workers are relying on early detection, supportive care, infection-prevention measures, and community engagement to limit transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the outbreak was first identified in Ituri Province and later spread to other areas. The agency has warned that armed conflict, population movement, and delays in identifying cases have complicated efforts to contain the virus.
For people living in affected communities, the figures represent personal losses. By the time authorities identified the virus, it had spread through communities, allowing chains of infection to grow before response teams were fully deployed. WHO said the outbreak was initially concentrated in Mongbwalu Health Zone in Ituri before expanding to other provinces.
The DRC has recorded Ebola outbreaks since 1976, and has developed extensive experience responding to the disease. But in Ituri, health workers say experience alone cannot overcome the challenges they face: conflict, difficult terrain, delayed detection, and mistrust among some communities. Congolese authorities have acknowledged that delays in identifying cases contributed to the spread of the virus.
Professor Pierre Akilimali, head of the DRC’s Ebola response, says laboratory capacity has expanded in Ituri since the outbreak hit. Today, we have more than 12 laboratories here in Ituri Province,” he told Al Jazeera. He said reliance on laboratory facilities outside the province slowed confirmation of cases during the early stages of the outbreak.
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