Friday, May 22Friday, May 22The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated rapidly, with the World Health Organization (WHO) raising the public health risk to "very high" at the national level. Suspected cases have nearly tripled in a week, rising from 246 to 750, while suspected deaths increased from 65 to 177. Confirmed cases now stand at 82, with 7 confirmed deaths . The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists, complicating containment efforts .
The epicenter of the outbreak is Ituri province, where provincial authorities have banned public gatherings to curb transmission . However, community distrust and violence are severely hindering response efforts. In Rwampara, near Bunia, protesters set fire to Ebola treatment tents after authorities refused to release the body of a suspected victim—a local footballer—for traditional burial. Police responded with tear gas and warning shots, underscoring the challenges of enforcing safe burial protocols . Similar incidents have occurred in other areas, with aid workers forced to flee as facilities were torched .
The outbreak has also spread to eastern South Kivu province, an area controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, raising concerns about further regional transmission. Ongoing conflict in the DRC has disrupted containment efforts, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus citing violence and insecurity as major obstacles . While the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) believes the outbreak can still be contained, officials warn that the next few days will be critical .
International travel restrictions have been implemented in response to the outbreak. An Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from the Congo boarded in Paris, violating U.S. entry restrictions. The passenger was denied entry due to heightened Ebola-related travel measures . Meanwhile, a Dutch hospital (RadboudUMC) admitted a patient potentially infected with Ebola, though further details remain unclear . Outside the DRC, Uganda has reported two confirmed cases and one death, while an American and a highly exposed contact have tested positive, with the latter transferred to the Czech Republic .
> Background: **Ebola outbreak in Congo worsens with 500 cases, violence, and travel bans.** — *10 hours ago*
More LFE coverage on this topic
Air France flight to US diverted to Montreal due to Ebola travel restrictions An Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from the Congo boarded a flight in Paris in error amid flight restrictions tied to the Ebola outbreak, US Customs and Border Protection said Thursday. A spokesperson for the agency says the passenger should not have boarded the plane Wednesday due to US entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of Ebola spreading.
france24 · about 3 hours ago
Suspected Ebola cases triple in a week as WHO warns of rapid spread in DRC Situation described as deeply worrisome by officials as aid cuts and community distrust impede respondersThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo poses a very high risk to the country, the World Health Organization said on Friday, revising its threat assessment upwards.The outbreak is spreading rapidly, WHO leaders said, with almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, up from 246 cases and 65 deaths when it was first reported a week earlier. Continue reading...
theguardian · about 3 hours ago
WHO raises Ebola public health risk to very high in DR Congo Provincial govt in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, has banned public gatherings to stop spread of virus.
aljazeera · about 4 hours ago
WHO warns Ebola outbreak risk now very high in DR Congo The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo to very high, warning the outbreak could accelerate rapidly. With no approved vaccine or treatment available, health officials are racing to contain the virus and prevent wider regional spread.
france24 · about 4 hours ago
Ebola risk in Congo now very high, WHO warns There have been 82 confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven confirmed deaths.
politico.eu · about 4 hours ago
Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading rapidly and a very high risk, WHO warns The head of the World Health Organisation has warned that the Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading rapidly and now poses a very high risk at the national level.
dailymail · about 4 hours ago
Dutch hospital RadboudUMC admits patient possibly infected with Ebola virus The RadboudUMC hospital in Nijmegen admitted a patient on Thursday evening who is potentially infected with the Ebola virus, a spokesperson for both the hospital and Dutch public health institute R
nltimes.nl · about 5 hours ago
WHO warns of fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in DRC The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading rapidly. It has resulted in almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Also, 82 infections have been confirmed, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday on social media networks. We know that the epidemic in the DRC is much more serious, he added. In Uganda, the situation is stable, with two confirmed cases and one death. An American has tested positive, and another case, a highly exposed contact, has been transferred to the Czech Republic. Violence in eastern DRC and the lack of security are hampering the response, the WHO director-general explained. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday that the epidemic could still be limited. But the next few days will be crucial, an official told reporters. Ebola is ...
swissinfo · about 5 hours ago
Congo protesters set fire to Ebola treatment tents in dispute over victims body Protesters set fire to tents for Ebola patients after Congolese authorities refused to give them the dead body of a victim they wanted to bury themselves, a beloved local footballer suspected to have died in the ongoing outbreak. Police fired warning shots and tear gas to defuse the incident in Ituri province which highlighted the struggle that authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo could face to enforce the safe burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak.
france24 · about 6 hours ago
Ebola fears surge on the ground in Congo over rapid spread of a rare type An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to eastern South Kivu province in an area under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, the groups spokesman said Thursday, heightening fears of the deadly diseases growing reach. Efforts to get a grip on the latest outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever, which the World Health Organization has declared an international emergency, have been hampered by the DRCs long-running conflicts.
france24 · about 9 hours ago
Furious crowd torches Ebola hospital tents in DR Congo Rwampara hospital lies near Bunia in the DRCs Ituri province, the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak.
euronews · about 10 hours ago
Angry crowd sets fire to Ebola treatment center in Congo Residents in eastern Congo set fire to an Ebola treatment center after authorities stopped them from retrieving the body of a suspected victim for burial, as anger and fear grow over the worsening outbreak. Aid workers fled the scene as flames engulfed the facility.
euronews · about 11 hours ago