Ebola Toll Climbs to 131 in Eastern Congo as WHO Sounds Alarm

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 26 additional suspected Ebola deaths within a single day. The update pushed the total associated fatalities to 131.

Officials recorded 516 suspected cases inside the country alongside 33 confirmed ones. Neighbouring Uganda has noted two confirmed cases. The figures come from a daily bulletin issued by Congolese health authorities.d1759c

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday. He took the step before convening an emergency committee, marking a first for the organisation's leadership. The virus involved is the Bundibugyo strain.

Tedros addressed the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday. He voiced deep concern about the scale and speed of the epidemic.

The outbreak unfolded across a densely populated region marked by armed violence. Experts note that the virus spread for weeks without detection. A previous outbreak in eastern DRC from 2018 to 2020 killed nearly 2,300 people and ranked as the second deadliest on record.

Butembo, a city of several hundred thousand residents, recorded its first two confirmed cases on Monday. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research, confirmed the development to Reuters.

Border measures tightened in response. Ugandan authorities restricted movement at the Ishasha-Kyeshero crossing, though the border remained open. Further south, Congolese travellers faced stops at Rwanda's border from Goma and Bukavu.

The WHO earlier advised against border closures. Such actions could push crossings to informal routes that evade monitoring.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals. The average fatality rate stands around 50 percent, according to WHO data.

Diagnostic challenges slowed the response. Limited capacity for the Bundibugyo strain allowed only six tests per hour. Anne Ancia, WHO's representative in DRC, highlighted the constraint.

One American, Dr Peter Stafford of a Christian mission group, tested positive. He and six others exposed to the virus were evacuated to Germany for care and monitoring. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the details.

Washington suspended entry for recent travellers from DRC, Uganda and South Sudan for 30 days, with limited exceptions. It also advised against all travel to those areas. Africa CDC warned that such restrictions could damage economies and hinder humanitarian work.

No approved specific therapeutics or vaccines exist for the Bundibugyo strain, unlike the more common Zaire variant. The United States committed an initial $13 million to the response and is developing a monoclonal antibody therapy. A WHO-led expert panel met Tuesday to review vaccine options. Merck's Ervebo candidate could become available in two months.

Construction activity and major infrastructure projects in conflict-affected eastern DRC have long faced disruption from insecurity and health crises. Past Ebola outbreaks forced temporary halts to road works, mining support facilities and cross-border transport links that form vital supply chains for regional development.

The current situation adds pressure on already strained logistics networks. Aid deliveries, equipment movements and personnel rotations for ongoing infrastructure initiatives in Ituri and North Kivu provinces require heightened health protocols.

Kenya maintains close trade and transport ties with Uganda and eastern Congo through corridors that handle construction materials and heavy machinery. Any escalation at border points like Busia could affect delivery timelines for projects reliant on regional supply routes.

Health officials continue contact tracing and community engagement efforts. The combination of armed groups, population displacement and weak surveillance systems complicates containment in this latest outbreak.

Global health funding reductions in recent years left preparedness gaps, several experts observed. Sierra Leone's health minister Austin Demby remarked at the assembly that the world appeared to have squandered lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.