KINSHASA — The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded into two additional health zones in North Kivu province, bringing the number of affected areas to 60 as health authorities struggle to contain what has been described as the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded.
The newly affected areas, Biena and Manguredjipa, are located in eastern DRC, one of the regions where insecurity and difficult operating conditions have complicated efforts to identify infections, trace contacts and provide timely treatment. Government figures released on Friday show that the outbreak has so far recorded 5,794 confirmed cases, with 2,786 deaths, putting the overall fatality rate at about 48 per cent.
The situation is considerably more severe in some of the newly and previously affected communities. Health authorities said delays in responding to cases have contributed to higher fatality rates in some zones, while the continuing expansion of the outbreak has placed additional pressure on already limited medical and humanitarian resources.
The rapid geographical spread has become a major concern for health officials and aid organisations working in the affected provinces. The response has been disrupted by armed conflict, population displacement, attacks targeting healthcare workers and medical facilities, movement of people between communities and shortages of essential infrastructure needed to mount an effective outbreak response.
The scale of the epidemic has also raised fears that it could overtake the deadliest Ebola outbreak previously recorded. The West African epidemic between 2014 and 2016 killed more than 11,000 people across the region, and the current outbreak in DRC is moving towards that grim benchmark as infections continue to emerge in additional health zones.
In response to the worsening situation, Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, has opened a new Ebola treatment centre in Beni, one of the areas experiencing a particularly high death rate. The organisation said the facility would strengthen the ability of medical teams to respond quickly to suspected and confirmed cases while supporting wider efforts to prevent further transmission.
Beni has recorded 122 confirmed Ebola cases and 87 deaths since the outbreak began in mid-May, according to the latest figures from the DRC Ministry of Health. That translates to a fatality rate of almost 69 per cent, making the area one of the worst affected locations in the country.
The establishment of additional treatment capacity is particularly important because shortages of beds have emerged as one of the obstacles facing the response. Without sufficient space to isolate and treat patients, health workers face greater difficulties in providing timely care and preventing infected people from transmitting the virus to relatives, healthcare workers and members of their communities.
MSF said its new Beni facility is intended to address part of that challenge by allowing patients to receive treatment more rapidly. The centre will also contribute to contact tracing and provide additional support to local health authorities as they attempt to identify transmission chains and prevent the outbreak from spreading further.
The organisation currently has about 1,400 personnel working in DRC as part of the Ebola response and operates treatment facilities with a combined capacity of approximately 400 beds. Its intervention reflects the growing need for additional medical resources as the outbreak reaches more communities and the pressure on existing facilities increases.
The response is further complicated by the strain of Ebola involved in the outbreak. Health authorities are dealing with the Bundibugyo strain, a rarer form of the virus compared with the Ebola strain responsible for many previous outbreaks. There is no approved vaccine or treatment specifically available for this strain, leaving responders heavily dependent on established public-health measures to slow transmission.
Those measures include identifying people who have been exposed to infected patients, monitoring contacts, isolating suspected or confirmed cases and ensuring that patients receive medical attention as quickly as possible. Such interventions become more difficult when communities are displaced, healthcare facilities are attacked or health workers cannot safely reach areas where infections are being reported.
MSF emergency coordinator Albert Stern stressed the importance of early intervention, saying that prompt diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve a patient’s chances of survival while reducing the possibility of transmission within households and communities.
The continued spread of the outbreak has also drawn concern from the United Nations, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning that the epidemic is advancing faster than the international response designed to contain it.
Guterres said the DRC outbreak represented the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded and warned that its expansion was outpacing containment efforts. He stressed that the international community already possesses the knowledge required to control Ebola and save lives, but urged a stronger and more urgent response to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
The latest expansion into Biena and Manguredjipa illustrates the difficulty facing health authorities in eastern DRC. While medical teams continue to establish treatment capacity and strengthen surveillance, the combination of insecurity, population movement, limited infrastructure and delayed response in some communities continues to create conditions in which the virus can spread quickly.
For communities already facing the outbreak, the priority remains early detection and isolation of suspected cases, rapid access to treatment and effective tracing of people who may have been exposed. Health responders are also relying on cooperation from affected communities to identify cases early and limit transmission.
With 60 health zones now affected and thousands of confirmed infections and deaths already recorded, the outbreak represents an escalating public-health emergency. The continued expansion has intensified calls for urgent support for frontline health workers and greater capacity to detect, isolate and treat patients before transmission becomes even more widespread.
Ebola outbreak spreads to two more zones in DRC as affected areas rise to 60
