Ebola spreads to fourth province in Democratic Republic of Congo as outbreak worsens

Up to now, three provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been affected by the Ebola epidemic: Ituri (which borders Uganda and South Sudan), North Kivu, and South Kivu. In Uganda, 20 cases have been recorded, including two deaths.

Haut-Uélé has become the fourth Congolese province impacted. The area, adjacent to Ituri, shares borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

A person infected with the virus traveled from Ituri to Haut-Uélé, bringing the disease to the region, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB). Health officials reported that the patient died.

Health authorities are working to trace the transmission chain and identify probable contacts. In many instances, the disease has spread through funeral rites. The body of an Ebola victim is highly contagious.

For weeks, humanitarian workers on the ground have been striving, despite widespread public mistrust, to organize burials in affected areas that comply with strict health measures to prevent any contact with the deceased's body.

In the DRC and elsewhere in Africa, funeral ceremonies often last several days. Families and relatives typically touch the body of the deceased during these rituals.

These regions are also plagued by armed group violence

Recent weeks have seen incidents at several health centers, often caused by angry community members demanding the bodies of their loved ones.

Haut-Uélé shares similar features with Ituri: remote borderlands rich in gold, high traffic and transit, all of which facilitate virus spread.

These areas are also experiencing violence from armed groups. In Ituri, massacres have been occurring for about a decade, perpetrated by community militias or the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which are linked to the Islamic State.

The ADF have recently carried out incursions into Haut-Uélé, which is also troubled by violence from armed groups from neighboring countries. The security context in which the Ebola epidemic continues to grow poses challenges for the health response, which was launched belatedly.

Humanitarian workers and scientists say health authorities were slow to detect the virus.

Epidemiological investigations, still to be confirmed, suggest that the first suspected deaths occurred as early as January. In Ituri, efforts have recently been stepped up, but health facilities, which often operate with limited resources in one of the world's poorest countries, still lack basic equipment such as protective kits and chlorine.

Ebola treatment centers set up with teams from the World Health Organization and several NGOs are already overwhelmed, with occupancy rates exceeding 138%, according to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). So far, 78 health workers have been infected, 18 of whom have died.

Experts and health authorities agree that more than six weeks after the official declaration of the epidemic, the peak has not yet been reached, and the crisis could last between six months and a year. Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC between 2018 and 2020 caused nearly 2,300 deaths out of 3,500 cases.