Fear and grief in Rwampara as Ebola cases surge in DRC

In the eastern Congolese town of Rwampara, silence hung heavy over the general hospital as healthcare workers in full protective suits carried bodies into disinfected coffins. The cries of grieving families echoed across the courtyard, where another chapter of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak unfolded in devastating fashion.

Among the mourners was Botwine Swanze, who lost her son after a sudden and terrifying illness.

“He told me his heart hurt, and I thought it was his stomach,” she said. “Then he started crying because of the pain in his stomach. After that, he started vomiting. Then he started bleeding and vomiting a lot.”

Nearby, Alicama Bitunda sat facing a line of coffins, mourning both her niece’s child and, shortly afterward, her niece herself. What first appeared to be stress and malaria-like symptoms rapidly spiraled into something far deadlier.

“She began vomiting and had diarrhea,” Bitunda said. “Her throat became hot, and then her stomach swelled, and that’s how she died.”

Outbreak raises international alarm

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, warning about the “scale and speed” of the virus’s spread.

The epidemic is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which circulated undetected for weeks after authorities initially tested for another, more common strain and received negative results.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 51 confirmed cases have been recorded in Congo’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces, along with two cases in neighboring Uganda.

Health officials also report 139 suspected deaths and nearly 600 suspected infections, though the true scale is feared to be much larger.

This marks the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak, but officials say the unusual virus strain presents new challenges despite the country’s extensive experience battling previous epidemics.

Hospitals struggle to contain the virus

At Rwampara General Hospital, preparations are underway to establish a dedicated Ebola treatment center inside a large tent erected in the hospital courtyard.

Patients will eventually be isolated there to prevent further spread within healthcare facilities.

But medical teams warn the outbreak remains far from contained.

“But the situation, as you can see, on the ground here where ALIMA is, the situation is worrying because this is getting widespread,” said Hama Amado, field coordinator for ALIMA, the Alliance for International Medical Action. “This is spreading in many areas. So everyone must mobilize.”

John Muhito, chief medical officer of the Rwampara health zone, said health workers are still actively searching for infected people in communities and medical institutions.

“At present, the situation is not yet under control,” Muhito said. “There are still a lot of detections.”