Ebola has spread to new areas in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including a crowded refugee camp, heightening fears that the nearly month-long outbreak is entering a more dangerous phase and may be larger than previously thought.
A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official warned on June 13 that the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is showing signs of community transmission in newly affected areas, while response efforts remain slow. Olivier le Polain, WHO's head of epidemiology and analysis, said cases are being identified in new health zones within three affected provinces almost daily.
According to WHO data, since the outbreak was declared on May 15, there have been 676 confirmed Ebola cases, including 136 deaths in Ituri province—the epicenter—as well as North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. A total of 32 patients have recovered. The UN agency reported an additional 119 suspected cases in the DRC as the virus begins to spread to new areas.
“That reflects the real scale of this outbreak: a much larger one than what is being detected, and the high mobility of the population,” Mr. Le Polain said. The WHO said more efforts are needed to contain the virus, with current isolation bed capacity far below the projected need based on transmission rates. No vaccine or treatment has yet been approved for this Bundibugyo strain.
Mr. Le Polain added that while in recent weeks, cases in new areas could be traced to movement from hotspots, “we are now also seeing local community transmission in new areas.” He stressed: “There are still many blind spots in some high-risk areas. The full scale of the outbreak remains unclear, and we will get a clearer picture as surveillance improves.”
The WHO official's remarks came shortly after the UN Refugee Agency confirmed the first Ebola deaths at the crowded Kpanga refugee camp in Ituri province. According to a relief worker familiar with the cases, as cited by Reuters, these deaths occurred on May 31 and June 1. Crowded conditions in camps like Kpanga, where hundreds sometimes share a single toilet, raise fears of rapid transmission. Caitlin Brady, country director for the Danish Refugee Council in Congo, expressed concern: “We are all really worried that Ebola in these camps will spread extremely quickly and that there will be panic, people fleeing everywhere, whether they have been in contact or are sick or not.”
The DRC's fight against the outbreak is complicated by the legacy of decades of conflict in the region. The government lacks comprehensive oversight due to the presence of armed rebel groups seeking to control mineral resources, leading to poor or destroyed infrastructure, and violence has displaced large numbers of people. The situation has also raised alarm in neighboring Uganda, which has confirmed 19 cases and two deaths, but was recently reported by the African Union health agency to be "under control."
