Ebola crisis in Congo: over 130 dead as WHO mobilizes supplies

The World Health Organization has dispatched 18 tonnes of emergency medical supplies to the Democratic Republic of Congo as the country battles a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak that has already caused over 131 deaths and more than 400 suspected cases. The outbreak, linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has now spread beyond the epicentre and raised fears of a wider regional health emergency.

The emergency shipment includes personal protective equipment, tents and hospital beds sent from WHO warehouses in Kenya, Senegal and Kinshasa.

WHO Africa official Fatima Tafida said a forward logistics base is being established in Bunia, the closest international airport to the outbreak’s epicentre in Ituri province.

She added that the WHO is working closely with the World Food Programme to store supplies in Bunia, while additional charter flights from the organisation’s global warehouse in Dubai are also being considered.

The WHO officially declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday.

Rare Bundibugyo strain sparks concern

Health authorities say the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant for which there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Congo and Uganda since 1976, this marks only the third time the Bundibugyo strain has been detected.

Previous outbreaks involving the same strain in Uganda in 2007 and in Congo in 2012 recorded mortality rates ranging between 30 and 50 percent.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through contact with bodily fluids including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.

Virus spreads beyond Ituri province

While the outbreak is centred in Ituri province, confirmed cases have also been reported in Kinshasa and Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo.

Neighbouring Uganda has recorded two deaths linked to the outbreak, involving Congolese nationals who travelled from the DRC.

An American doctor working in Congo is also among the newly confirmed cases.

The WHO warned that the spread of the virus in conflict-affected areas poses additional risks to health workers and could complicate containment efforts.

Humanitarian crisis worsens outbreak risks

The United Nations says the Ebola outbreak is unfolding amid a major humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.

According to UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, nearly nine million people across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu are facing crisis-level or worse hunger conditions, placing additional strain on already fragile health systems.

He warned that only 30 percent of the required health funding has so far been mobilised and called for urgent international support to strengthen both the Ebola response and wider humanitarian operations.

Aid organisations including Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Rescue Committee have deployed emergency response teams to help contain the outbreak.