The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 100 days since the official declaration of an Ebola outbreak, with health officials reporting more than 2,500 deaths and 5,000 confirmed infections. The epidemic, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has grown to become the deadliest in the country's history and is spreading faster than the response can manage, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated the virus may have been spreading undetected as early as February, three months before the official May 15 declaration. The outbreak has now been detected across an area larger than France, primarily in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. Roughly 80% of new infections are being identified outside known transmission chains, meaning surveillance systems are unable to track the path of the virus.
Julien Harneis, the United Nations’s Senior Ebola Coordinator, reported that while international pledges have met requested amounts, less than half of the funds have been disbursed. Response efforts are facing challenges from active conflict, displacement, and the impact of aid cuts, including a significant reduction in funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last year. Additionally, health workers have faced more than 260 attacks in the last six months, resulting in eight deaths.
The demographic of the infected has shifted, with women now representing 53% of reported cases. Oxfam attributed this to women's roles as primary caregivers and their involvement in traditional burial practices. The outbreak is also impacting food security; the International Committee of the Red Cross noted that conflict and trade restrictions in Ituri have limited food production and market availability.
Residents in the affected regions face concrete changes to their daily lives through restricted cross-border trade and the abandonment of farmland due to conflict, leading to higher food prices and lower market supply. Frontline health workers, including the 160 who have contracted the virus, are experiencing delayed payments that have triggered widespread strikes across the healthcare system. With isolation centres and clinics becoming targets of violence, the ability for an ordinary citizen to seek medical care is hindered by both physical insecurity and the strain on existing medical infrastructure.
The knock-on effects extend to neighboring South Sudan, the Central Republic of Africa, Burundi, and Uganda, where governments must maintain preparedness activities to prevent cross-border transmission. Because the Bundibugyo strain has no recognized cure or vaccine, the WHO warns that medical interventions alone are insufficient without community outreach. Funding for the current response is expected to run out in the coming weeks unless disbursed international pledges reach the agencies on the ground. The next phase of the crisis will be determined by whether the UN and partner agencies can secure the remaining half of promised international funds to stabilize surveillance and treatment efforts.