The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly, prompting the World Health Organization on Friday to elevate its domestic threat assessment to “very high.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that while the risk of global transmission remains low, the situation inside Congo has deteriorated significantly from its previous “high” classification.
Official figures place the outbreak at 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths. However, Tedros noted that the actual footprint of the virus is believed to be “much larger,” with health agencies tracking nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
Emergency medical supplies are currently being redirected to the northeastern province of Ituri, an area heavily impacted by armed conflict and mass civilian displacement.
Frontline response teams are facing severe resource shortages alongside deep-seated community pushback, driven by a combination of misinformation and conflicts between emergency medical protocols and traditional burial customs.
READ: Ditch The Switch: Push For Permanent Daylight Saving Time Heads To House Floor
On Thursday, an angry crowd of youths set fire to an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara after authorities blocked them from retrieving the body of a friend who had allegedly died of the virus. Because the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious, medical teams have mandated strict control over burials to halt transmission.
Julienne Lusenge, president of the local aid group Women’s Solidarity for Inclusive Peace and Development, attributed the community’s volatility to widespread rumors.
“We have lived through years and years of conflict and hardship so rumors spread easily,” Lusenge said. She added that some local churches have actively told their congregations that the outbreak is a hoax, claiming divine protection makes medical intervention unnecessary.
In response to the escalating crisis, the United Nations announced Friday that it has released $60 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate containment efforts in Congo and neighboring regions.
Additionally, the United States pledged $23 million to bolster response capabilities in both Congo and Uganda, stating the funds would help establish up to 50 local treatment clinics. However, Ugandan authorities stated Thursday on X that they had no knowledge of any U.S.-funded treatment facilities being set up in their country.
READ: “It’s Your Lucky Day”: Florida Dad Confronts Bus Driver With Handgun At School Bus Stop
Local healthcare providers report being entirely overwhelmed. Lusenge noted that her group’s small hospital near the Ituri provincial capital of Bunia lacks basic personal protective equipment (PPE). The facility screens symptomatic patients before transferring them to larger centers, leaving staff highly vulnerable to infection.
“We have made requests to different partners, but we have not yet really received anything,” Lusenge told the Associated Press. “We only have hand sanitizer and a few masks for the nurses, but we need much more than that.”
Public health officials emphasize that official case counts reflect a lack of diagnostic capacity rather than the true scope of the disease.
“I expect the number of cases to increase as surveillance becomes more and more rigorous,” said Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts noted that regional healthcare infrastructure, already fragile, was further weakened by recent international aid cuts.
Active warfare further complicates containment. Ituri Province currently hosts more than 920,000 internally displaced persons, and a Tuesday attack by militants linked to the Islamic State group in the village of Alima left at least 17 people dead.
“The outbreak can still be contained but the window for action is narrow,” said Gabriela Arenas of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “What happens in the coming days in homes, in communities and across borders will matter enormously.”
International policy friction has also emerged over border control measures. In response to the outbreak, the Trump administration invoked Title 42 authorities—a dated public health law last used during the COVID-19 pandemic—to suspend access to the U.S. asylum system for individuals arriving from the region.
The policy drew sharp criticism from human rights and medical advocacy groups, who argue that blanket travel restrictions contradict international health guidelines.
“The Trump administration’s revival of Title 42 in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda is not a public health measure,” said Thomas McHale, public health director at Physicians for Human Rights. “It is the weaponization of a public health emergency to justify shutting the door on people seeking asylum at the U.S. border.”
McHale noted that the WHO explicitly advises against blanket travel bans for Ebola, as the virus does not spread through the air but through direct contact with contaminated bodily fluids.
“Public health responses to Ebola should be guided by science and human rights, not politics or xenophobia,” McHale said. “The Trump administration slamming the door shut on people seeking asylum will not stop Ebola. It will set a dangerous precedent that any infectious disease anywhere in the world can be invoked to suspend the human right to seek asylum.”
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
