The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an international health alert in response to an Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as there is no vaccine or treatment for the circulating variant. Ebola causes a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever. The deadly virus has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.
Deaths
At this stage, 91 reported deaths have likely been caused by Ebola, according to the latest figures released Sunday by Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba. Approximately 350 suspected cases have been reported. Most of those affected are between 20 and 39 years old. More than 601 are women.
Few samples have been able to be tested in the laboratory to date and the assessments are mainly based on suspected cases.
The epicenter of the epidemic is in Ituri, a province in northeastern Congo bordering Uganda and South Sudan. In this gold-rich region, intense population movements linked to mining activity occur daily. Furthermore, parts of the province are plagued by violence perpetrated by several armed groups, making access difficult for security reasons.
Regional risk
The virus has already spread beyond the borders of Ituri and the DRC. A case has been recorded in Goma, a major city in eastern Congo controlled by the anti-government armed group M23 and the capital of North Kivu, a province neighboring Ituri.
Two deaths have also been recorded in Uganda, according to the WHO. These individuals had traveled from the DRC, and no local outbreaks have been reported. In all three cases, laboratory tests confirmed the link to Ebola.
The Africa CDC, the African Union's health agency, believes that the risk of spread to East African countries bordering the DRC is " pupil"The WHO on Sunday triggered its second-highest international alert level in response to an Ebola outbreak."
No vaccine
The strain of the virus responsible for the current epidemic is called Bundibugyo. It has only caused two epidemics worldwide before the current one, in Uganda in 2007 and in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012. It is one of the least lethal Ebola strains, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 30 to 501. The average CFR, across all strains, ranges from 251 to 901, with an average of 501. However, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for this variant. Existing Ebola vaccines are only effective against the Zaire strain of the virus, which has caused the largest recorded epidemics.
The measures to try to contain its spread therefore rely essentially on respecting barrier measures and the rapid detection of cases to limit contacts.
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Rapid spread
The deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC had caused nearly 2,300 deaths and 3,500 cases between 2018 And 2020. The episode preceding the epidemic The current outbreak had caused 45 deaths between September and December 2025, according to the WHO.
The vast Central African country, with over 100 million inhabitants, therefore has considerable experience in managing Ebola. But the specific characteristics of the current epidemic, the 17th in the DRC, are causing concern among virus experts.
“ This is an epidemic that will spread very rapidly, especially since it is occurring in a densely populated province." , virologist Jean-Jacques Muyembe, co-discoverer of Ebola in 1976 and head of the Congolese research institute that confirmed the resurgence of the virus, told AFP.
If all suspected cases identified were confirmed, this epidemic would rank as the 7th largest ever known across all strains, and the 2nd largest non-Zaire Ebola epidemic, according to specialists.
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"Mystical illness"
Epidemiological investigations are underway to determine the origin of the outbreak. The first case identified so far is a nurse who presented himself on April 24 at a health center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri. However, the epicenter of the outbreak is located approximately 90 km away, in the Mongbwalu health zone, suggesting that the epidemic originated there and that the cases then spread.
The WHO has been alerted The outbreak of a highly lethal disease on May 5th, following the deaths of four healthcare workers in the Mongbwalu region within four days, is a significant development. Those infected with the Bundibugyo strain initially present with symptoms similar to the flu or malaria, which can delay detection.
According to the Congolese Minister of Health, the ongoing epidemic was also delayed in being reported because the affected communities initially believed it to be a " mystical illness or to "witchcraft," which led the sick to go "to prayer centers" instead of consulting health professionals.
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