The National Institute of Public Health of Congo (INSP) has documented 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 fatalities, indicating an average mortality rate of 25.3%.

The vast majority of these infections are concentrated in Ituri, a remote northeastern Congolese province plagued by armed conflict, accounting for 91.3% of cases and 80.7% of deaths.

Initial low testing capabilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have since improved, partially clarifying the observed rise in recorded cases.

However, international humanitarian organizations and non-governmental groups operating on the ground unanimously suggest that the official statistics remain significantly underestimated.

The epidemic’s official declaration occurred approximately two months after the initial suspicious fatalities were noted around March 20th. During this critical delay, the illness spread unchecked, reaching unknown proportions.

A total of three Congolese provinces are currently grappling with the outbreak: Ituri, neighboring North Kivu, and South Kivu, collectively home to an estimated 15 million individuals. The virus has also crossed into neighboring Uganda, where 20 confirmed cases and two deaths have been reported.

response efforts underway but facing obstacles

In Ituri, the health response, centered on isolating patients and tracing contacts, has been intensified but still encounters difficulties in its overall organization.

Currently, no specific vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the ongoing epidemic. Available vaccines are effective solely against the Zaire virus, known for causing the largest Ebola outbreaks to date.

Early in the epidemic, local hospitals were quickly overwhelmed. Subsequently established Ebola treatment centers, supported by World Health Organization (WHO) teams and several NGOs, are already operating at over 80% capacity, according to the INSP.

Over a month following the official declaration of the epidemic, healthcare facilities in this impoverished nation often operate with limited resources and continue to face shortages of essential protective equipment and chlorine. The INSP reports that 78 healthcare workers have contracted the virus, with 18 fatalities among them.

Furthermore, medical personnel and humanitarian workers are contending with significant distrust from local communities. Reluctance to permit post-mortem sampling contributes to the underestimation of case numbers. Recent weeks have seen incidents at hospitals, notably involving angry residents demanding the remains of relatives who succumbed to the disease.

Both humanitarian experts and epidemiologists assert that the epidemic’s peak has not yet been reached, expressing concerns that this health crisis could persist for another six months to a year.