The outbreak comes amid a strained global response system, after the U.S. Agency for International Development, which previously played a central role in containing Ebola outbreaks, was shuttered, and the United States withdrew from the WHO in January this year.
The outbreak is unfolding in eastern Congo, where armed conflict, weak healthcare infrastructure, and population movement tied in part to mining activity are complicating efforts to contain the virus.
Authorities said violence in Ituri, including attacks by armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces and M23, has limited access for health workers and disrupted contact tracing efforts.
Officials noted that only a small fraction of suspected cases have been confirmed in laboratories so far, highlighting uncertainty about the outbreak’s true scale.
Previous outbreaks killed thousands
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced at least 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in 1976, making it one of the countries most frequently affected.