Ebola alert in DRC: more than 30 dead in a camp for displaced people, authorities fear rapid spread

Growing concern surrounds the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after the deaths of at least 30 people in a camp for displaced civilians in the Bunia region. Local officials and humanitarian organizations fear the virus could spread rapidly among this particularly vulnerable population.

Deaths have been recorded since the beginning of May at the Kigonze camp, located in Bunia, the current epicenter of the outbreak. According to camp officials, such a high mortality rate has never been seen before. The symptoms reported in several victims are consistent with those of Ebola, fueling fears of active transmission of the disease.

However, health authorities have not yet been able to confirm the exact causes of death. Until Thursday, many families and some patients had refused testing, both on living individuals and on the bodies of the deceased, according to camp officials and the humanitarian organization Caritas.

This refusal significantly complicates efforts to monitor and control the epidemic. Medical teams are struggling to identify transmission chains and implement the necessary isolation measures to prevent further spread of the virus.

The situation is exacerbated by the humanitarian challenges facing the region. United Nations data indicates that funding for water, sanitation, and hygiene in the Democratic Republic of Congo fell by more than half by 2025. Yet these services are essential to combat the spread of infectious diseases.

Furthermore, several US-funded aid programs in three Ebola-affected provinces have been reduced, further limiting response capacity on the ground. Humanitarian organizations fear that this reduction in resources will undermine prevention and treatment efforts.

While health authorities are trying to gain better cooperation from camp residents, the situation in Kigonze is being closely monitored by public health officials. Confirmation of the virus among the victims could signal a worrying acceleration of the epidemic in a region already facing major humanitarian challenges.