Ebola outbreak in DR Congo advancing faster than response effort, warns medical agency

The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is advancing faster than the response effort to contain it, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Saturday, saying the scale and severity of the epidemic remain unclear amid major gaps in testing and logistics.

In a statement released during a visit to Bunia by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, MSF said the situation in Ituri province was “deeply alarming” and unlike previous outbreaks due to the rapid rise in cases shortly after its declaration.

“Never before has an Ebola disease outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” said Dr. Alan Gonzalez, MSF deputy director of operations.

MSF said hundreds of suspected samples remain untested, while restrictions on borders and airports are delaying the arrival of essential medical supplies and specialist personnel needed to scale up the response.

“The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak,” Gonzalez said.

The organization said the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments, complicating containment efforts.

MSF also warned that overstretched health facilities are struggling to maintain routine care, raising the risk of wider health impacts beyond Ebola.

The group called for an urgent expansion of testing capacity, faster deployment of humanitarian resources, and improved coordination of international assistance. It stressed that community engagement was essential to ensure trust in the response and encourage people to seek treatment.

“The response cannot succeed if it is imposed on communities rather than built with them,” MSF said.

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest figures, at least 134 confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the current outbreak in the Congo and Uganda.

Congolese health authorities indicated that new suspected cases continue to be registered, with a cumulative number of over 1,000 recorded since the outbreak was declared.

The confirmed cases included nine recorded in Uganda, while deaths from Ebola stood at 18 among the confirmed cases in the two countries.