The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is still in the early stages of its latest Ebola outbreak, with Health Minister Roger Kamba warning on 27 May that the country may need up to six months to bring it under control. With 101 laboratory-confirmed cases, around 1,000 symptomatic individuals, and approximately 220 probable deaths, the scale of the crisis is still being mapped as surveillance expands.

Scale and Spread of the Outbreak

The outbreak, declared on 15 May, is the 17th Ebola epidemic in the DRC since 1976. It has so far affected three eastern provinces — Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu — with the mining town of Mongbwalu in Ituri identified as the epicentre. Around 3,600 contacts are currently being monitored. Health authorities have confirmed no cases outside these three provinces, despite alerts from other parts of the country, including the capital Kinshasa.

Kamba noted that all figures remain provisional, and that the government had deliberately chosen to communicate the broadest possible count of suspected cases while laboratory confirmation continues. 17 deaths have been confirmed by testing so far.

Why the Bundibugyo Strain Complicates the Response

This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus — a rarer form of the disease that has complicated early detection. Unlike the more widely known Zaire strain, which has driven most of the DRC's previous outbreaks, Bundibugyo presents less dramatically in its early phase. Early symptoms — including fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea — closely resemble malaria, and haemorrhagic signs may appear late or not at all.

Critically, there is no licensed vaccine or approved specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. Supportive care — including rehydration, management of respiratory distress, and treatment of anaemia — remains the primary clinical response. This stands in sharp contrast to the Zaire strain, for which effective vaccines exist.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the outbreak as posing a 'very high' risk at the national level and a 'high' risk at the regional level, while the global risk remains 'low'. The WHO cited rapid geographic expansion, high population mobility, insecurity, healthcare worker infections, community deaths, and the absence of a licensed Bundibugyo vaccine as key risk factors.

Community Resistance and Security Challenges

Beyond the medical response, authorities face serious obstacles on the ground. Kamba cited attacks on Ebola facilities in Rwampara and Mongbwalu, where some residents resisted health teams and sought to retrieve bodies for traditional burials — a practice that can accelerate viral transmission. Misinformation, including claims that the disease was 'mystical' or fabricated, has further hindered containment efforts.

Kamba stressed that risk communication must shift toward local leaders, religious figures, community health workers, and trusted local voices rather than officials deployed from Kinshasa. The government plans to recruit 60,000 community health workers nationwide from July to strengthen disease surveillance and health education.

Access to rebel-held areas presents an additional political and logistical challenge. Goma and Bukavu — two major cities with confirmed cases — are under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, complicating the deployment of response teams.

Travel and Aviation Measures

On Saturday, the DRC government suspended civilian passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, while keeping humanitarian flights operational. Kamba clarified that the suspension was temporary and linked to ongoing airport renovations, not a border closure, and would be lifted 'very quickly.'

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said on Monday that international air services remain safe, but urged governments, airlines, airports, and health authorities to strictly follow WHO guidance. ICAO confirmed that Ebola does not spread through casual contact or airborne transmission, but through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person. The WHO has advised countries against closing borders or imposing broad travel and trade restrictions.

What Comes Next

The DRC's response plan is being prepared for a period of four to six months. Authorities are deploying mobile laboratories and additional testing capacity closer to affected areas; around 2,000 test kits have been dispatched to the field, with a further 4,000 expected to follow. The 'patient zero' has not yet been identified.

Kamba acknowledged that case counts will likely rise as surveillance improves. 'The more we investigate, the more we will find,' he said, framing the rising numbers not solely as evidence of spread, but as proof that response teams are uncovering transmission chains that had previously gone undetected. The coming weeks will test whether the DRC can build community trust fast enough to outpace the virus.