BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / MENA Newswire / – Confirmed Ebola cases in DR Congo have risen to 689, with 139 deaths, as health authorities confront a fast-moving outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus. The World Health Organization has warned that transmission remains active across eastern provinces. It assesses the risk in DR Congo as very high. The warning follows rapid growth in confirmed cases and wider spread into health zones in the east.
The outbreak began after a hospital in Bunia Health Zone identified severe illness among health workers in early May. Laboratory testing later confirmed Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola disease in people. DR Congo’s health ministry declared the outbreak on May 15. It is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976.
Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths linked to the outbreak. Health authorities have also recorded one probable case and one probable death there. WHO says Uganda’s cases remain tied to transmission from DR Congo, including imported infections and secondary cases among contacts and health workers. No documented community transmission has been reported in Uganda.
Health zones under pressure
The outbreak in DR Congo has affected Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Ituri remains the center of transmission and accounts for most confirmed cases. Earlier WHO data listed high case totals in Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu health zones. Health teams have also traced thousands of contacts in affected provinces as they work to find cases, isolate patients and monitor people exposed to the virus.
Bundibugyo virus disease can cause fever, weakness, headache, vomiting, abdominal pain and bleeding in some patients. It spreads through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids from infected people. Transmission can also occur through contaminated surfaces or unsafe burial practices. People with the disease do not become infectious before symptoms begin, which makes early detection central to outbreak control.
Response focuses on surveillance
There is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says care relies on supportive treatment for symptoms and close infection control. Public health teams are using contact tracing, isolation, safe burials, laboratory testing and community outreach. Treatment centers and isolation units are also being set up near outbreak areas.
WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. The agency has advised against travel or trade restrictions on either country based on current information. Response teams continue to focus on surveillance, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and cross-border coordination as confirmed cases remain concentrated in eastern DR Congo.