Frank Okon

A worsening Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is unfolding against a backdrop of hunger, mass displacement, insecurity and fragile healthcare systems, raising fears of a broader regional health emergency.

The crisis escalated after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, warning that the disease could spread further amid ongoing humanitarian instability in the region.

Global disease experts said the outbreak highlights growing international vulnerability to pandemics and infectious disease emergencies.

“The world is not safer from pandemics,” experts from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board warned on Monday, arguing that increasingly frequent outbreaks are becoming more destructive and harder for countries to recover from.

The experts said infectious disease outbreaks are now producing wider health, economic, political and social consequences, while global response capacities continue to weaken.

Ebola, a severe and often fatal disease affecting humans and other primates, has already spread across multiple areas in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda.

According to health authorities, as of 16 May, eight laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths had been recorded in Ituri province in eastern DRC.

Health officials also reported unconfirmed positive cases in the rebel-controlled city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and home to more than one million people.

The confirmed Ebola case in Goma is believed to be linked to the wife of a man who died after contracting the virus in Bunia, capital of Ituri province.

Another infected individual reportedly travelled from Bunia to Beni in North Kivu before testing positive.

Additional confirmed cases have also emerged in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, while two infected individuals crossed into Uganda and were admitted to intensive care.

The Ugandan capital, Kampala, has also been affected, according to WHO.

Reports on Monday further indicated that a United States doctor working with a medical missionary organisation in the DRC had contracted the virus, while at least six American citizens were reportedly exposed during the outbreak.

WHO said it has already deployed 42 health professionals and emergency supplies to support the government-led response.

However, the agency warned that the outbreak is likely far larger than currently documented due to clusters of unexplained deaths, high positivity rates among tested samples and limited understanding of transmission patterns.

At least four healthcare workers have already died, raising concerns about infection prevention measures in local health facilities.

In a statement, WHO said there is currently no approved vaccine or therapy for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the outbreak.

The agency warned that insecurity, humanitarian crises, population displacement, urban transmission risks and the widespread use of informal healthcare facilities are significantly increasing the danger of further spread.

“The ongoing insecurity, humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, the urban or semi-urban nature of the current hotspot and the large network of informal healthcare facilities further compound the risk of spread,” WHO said.

The situation has revived memories of the devastating 2018–2019 Ebola epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Speaking to UN News, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said although Ebola remains extremely dangerous, it is a disease that health authorities know how to contain.

“Ebola is a very serious disease, but it is one that we know how to control,” he said.

Janabi explained that declaring the outbreak an international public health emergency allows the global health system to mobilize resources quickly and strengthen coordinated international action.

“But it does not mean people should panic. It means the global system is working as it should be, detecting and responding very decisively,” he added.

He also urged the media and the public to avoid misinformation and fear-driven reactions.

“Fear by itself is an outbreak,” he said.