The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 200, with 17 medics dead and 75 healthcare workers infected, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Friday.
“The outbreak remains serious” and is “evolving so fast,” said WHO emergency director Marie Roseline Belizaire, speaking by video link from the epicenter in eastern DRC. She described the loss of health workers as a heavy blow to a system already weakened by years of conflict, displacement, and chronic underfunding.
Health officials believe the rare Bundibugyo strain had been spreading for months before the government declared the outbreak on May 15, leaving medical staff exposed before they knew the virus was present. Basic protective equipment remains in short supply, with some facilities struggling to secure gloves, masks, and other essentials.
The DRC has one of the world’s lowest ratios of healthcare workers to population—about 11 per 10,000 people, according to WHO data. Belizaire said China and Uganda are sending medical teams to support the response, and the WHO is providing psychological support to medics who fear treating patients after seeing colleagues fall sick.
Congolese authorities said Thursday the outbreak has killed 232 people and infected 896 across 31 health zones. African Union member states have pledged nearly $1 billion to respond to the emergency in eastern DRC and neighboring Uganda, which has confirmed 19 cases and two deaths. Health officials warn the outbreak has not yet peaked.
The crisis is raising alarm in displacement camps, where overcrowding, poor sanitation, and resistance to testing could allow the virus to spread undetected. At least 30 people have died since early May in Kigonze camp in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Camp officials described the death rate as unprecedented.
Authorities could not confirm the causes of death because patients and relatives refused testing until Thursday, but witnesses and aid sources told Reuters the dead had symptoms linked to Ebola, including headaches, fever, and vomiting. “People didn’t just die like this before,” said camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi.
Kigonze is home to more than 15,000 people. The rising number of deaths has increased fears that Ebola may be spreading among the more than five million displaced people in eastern DRC. Aid workers say funding cuts have made the emergency more dangerous.
Donors, including the US under President Donald Trump, have reduced support for water, hygiene, and sanitation programs, which are vital in fighting the disease. UN data shows funding for toilets and handwashing stations in the DRC more than halved between 2024 and 2025, falling to about $38 million. This year’s $80 million appeal is only 21 percent funded.
Source: www.aljazeera.com