The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is accelerating, with the death toll surpassing 400 as the virus spreads into new areas, overwhelms fragile health systems and fuels growing fears of a wider regional health emergency.
Government data released Thursday showed 1,460 confirmed cases and 447 deaths nationwide after 54 new infections were recorded Wednesday in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. Earlier health ministry figures had reported 1,406 confirmed infections and 438 deaths, highlighting the rapidly evolving nature of the outbreak.
Since authorities declared the outbreak on May 15, the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has spread across dozens of health zones, with Ituri province remaining the epicenter. More than 83% of all recorded deaths have occurred there, although the virus has also reached neighboring North Kivu and South Kivu.
Health officials confirmed that Lolwa has become the latest affected health zone in Ituri, while the outbreak has also reached Kisangani, a city of about 1.5 million people located nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the epidemic's epicenter.
The first confirmed case in Kisangani involved a 24-year-old pregnant woman whose body tested positive for Ebola after being secretly transported by motorcycle from the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri. Health experts warned that moving infected bodies poses a particularly high risk because Ebola remains highly contagious after death, with traditional burial practices often contributing to transmission.
The outbreak has so far recorded a case fatality rate of just over 31%, although the World Health Organization warned the true death toll is likely higher because numerous suspected Ebola-related deaths that occurred before the outbreak was officially declared remain under investigation.
At least 192 patients have recovered, while more than 600 others remain hospitalized or in isolation as medical teams continue tracing thousands of contacts.
The virus has also crossed borders into neighboring Uganda, where 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths, have been reported. Donors and international partners have pledged $910 million to support response efforts in both countries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi this week unveiled a $319 million national response plan aimed at strengthening surveillance, treatment and containment efforts.
"Epidemics do not recognize borders," Tshisekedi said during a joint news conference in Kinshasa with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa urged the international community not to isolate Congo through travel restrictions, saying cooperation rather than border closures would be essential to controlling the outbreak. He also expressed optimism that researchers could develop a vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain before the end of the year.
Unlike the more common Zaire strain, the Bundibugyo variant currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. However, the World Health Organization announced that clinical trials have begun to evaluate two promising therapies: the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir. Researchers caution that determining their effectiveness could take several months.
Health authorities continue to battle far more than the virus itself.
Insecurity, armed conflict, population displacement, deep public mistrust and strained medical facilities have significantly complicated containment efforts across eastern Congo.
Violence erupted this week in the Nia-Nia health zone after residents refused to surrender the body of a man believed to have died from Ebola for a safe burial. Protesters clashed with police, set an Ebola treatment center on fire and allowed seven suspected Ebola patients in isolation to escape.
Local officials said the patients remain missing.
A police officer was killed during the unrest, while two protesters suffered serious injuries. Demonstrators also seized two Ebola victims' bodies before health workers could conduct safe burials, dramatically increasing the risk of further transmission.
Local health officials said some residents continue denying Ebola exists, while others accuse aid organizations of exploiting the crisis for financial gain, making public health campaigns increasingly difficult.
The outbreak has also spread into Haut-Uele province, where authorities reported one death and another infected individual who fled from the Nia-Nia health zone. Officials continue to classify the cases in Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces as imported from Ituri, although multiple contacts are now being monitored.
Health workers say many facilities remain critically short of protective equipment, chlorine, medicines and other essential supplies needed to safely treat patients and protect frontline staff.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced 17 Ebola outbreaks over the past five decades. Its deadliest epidemic, between 2018 and 2020, claimed nearly 2,300 lives.