Virunga National Park Bolsters Ebola Defenses to Protect People and Gorillas

As Ebola cases continue to emerge in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Virunga National Park—Africa's oldest national park—is ramping up health measures to protect both local communities and the park's threatened mountain gorillas. This initiative is part of the park's emergency response plan following the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration in May that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and neighboring Uganda constituted a public health emergency of international concern.

Emmanuel de Merode, Director of Virunga National Park, said, "This is a terrible disease and a threat first and foremost to people. Protected areas like Virunga National Park are vast natural spaces with no human inhabitants. They act as barriers to the spread of disease."

Virunga previously supported efforts to contain the DRC's 10th Ebola outbreak in 2018–2020, which killed nearly 2,300 people. de Merode believes the park can continue to help slow transmission during the country's 17th outbreak, which has claimed more than 1,400 lives, according to Congolese health authorities.

Health Checkpoints at Key Locations

Virunga National Park has established six health checkpoints within and around its territory—a 300-kilometer (186-mile) protected forest corridor that officials describe as a natural barrier across North Kivu province. The park has also deployed 40 health workers and 80 park rangers as part of its first six-month emergency response plan.

According to de Merode, checkpoints on roads crossing the park allow authorities to monitor movement through the protected area. In Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, checkpoints north and south of Bunia—the provincial capital—are screening travelers arriving from Ebola-affected areas. The stations are equipped with handwashing facilities, thermometers, and initial isolation areas adjacent to each checkpoint.

de Merode added, "We have supported the health sector with protective equipment, body bags, thermometers, and vehicles, because when an outbreak begins, health services face real difficulties, especially in North Kivu."

Broader Role in Ebola Response

de Merode noted that experience from previous outbreaks has strengthened collaboration between Virunga and Congolese health authorities, particularly in surveillance and early detection. Reflecting on the 2018–2020 period, he said that the response committee at the time credited Virunga as a crucial factor in limiting the virus's spread.

"The response committee then acknowledged that the disease didn't spread to Goma or other parts of the country thanks in part to Virunga National Park, which was considered a key factor in preventing the outbreak from moving south or east," de Merode said.

However, he stressed that Virunga is just one part of a broader response led by Congolese health authorities and supported by technical and financial partners. All information collected at checkpoints is immediately relayed to the Congolese National Institute of Public Health for monitoring. In Ituri province, three checkpoints managed by the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation within Virunga are screening travelers from high-risk areas.

According to park officials, two suspected cases have been identified at the checkpoints and referred to public health authorities for follow-up. de Merode explained, "If a case unfortunately appears after a checkpoint, we can trace them and all their contacts traveling with them, thus tracking potentially infectious individuals on the move."

Threat to Remaining Mountain Gorillas

Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are among the most iconic species in Virunga National Park. Classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the mountain gorilla population is estimated at just over 1,000 individuals across the greater Virunga region spanning the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. The DRC is home to a significant portion of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, with Virunga protecting one of the last populations of these great apes.

Dr. Eddy Syaluha, a veterinarian with Gorilla Doctors—an organization dedicated to protecting the health of great apes in the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda—said the close biological relationship between humans and mountain gorillas makes them vulnerable to infectious diseases from humans. "Mountain gorillas share over 90% of their DNA with humans, which means they are susceptible to many of the same infectious diseases, including Ebola and respiratory illnesses," he said, emphasizing the importance of the One Health approach, which recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected.

Keeping Ebola Out of the Forest

Despite multiple Ebola outbreaks in the region over the past five decades, Syaluha said no mountain gorilla has ever tested positive for the virus in Virunga National Park or anywhere else in the DRC. Conservation teams continue to monitor gorilla health and screen visitors to reduce the risk of human-to-animal transmission.

Previous Ebola outbreaks have shown the devastating impact of the virus on great apes, with some studies recording mortality rates exceeding 90% in Western lowland gorilla populations in Central Africa. Syaluha stressed, "We are doing everything we can to ensure that what happened in other countries does not happen to our gorillas here. We focus primarily on human-centered preventive measures to prevent transmission to gorilla groups. We regularly monitor gorilla health to remain highly vigilant."