Humanitarian agencies warn of worsening Ebola disaster in DR Congo

The true scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is likely significantly higher than official figures suggest, humanitarian organization Oxfam has warned, citing severe shortages of clean water, sanitation facilities and disease surveillance, Sky News reports.

According to Oxfam, the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain has been compounded by the near-collapse of hygiene infrastructure and a sharp decline in contact tracing. Field data show that only one in five health centers in Ituri province, one of the outbreak’s epicenters, has access to sufficient clean water. In the town of Mongbwalu, home to nearly 140,000 people, just 20% of residents have access to clean water and only 25% have functional sanitation and hygiene facilities.

“Water – the absolute first line of defence in any public health emergency – is simply not available,” said Manel Rebordosa, Oxfam’s field response coordinator in Ituri. “Miners working in the surrounding areas have no toilets and handwashing stations. Then they return home to communities already battling the virus. Clean water costs $2 for 20 litres. For most families here, that is far beyond what they can afford.”

The warning comes as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the outbreak is the largest recorded involving the Bundibugyo strain. As of June 13, the DRC Ministry of Health had reported 781 confirmed cases and 181 deaths.

With no licensed vaccine available for the Bundibugyo strain, public health experts say access to clean water and proper sanitation remains essential. However, contact tracing coverage has fallen to 43%, compared with 79% during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in the same region.

Rebordosa attributed the decline partly to funding shortfalls and the withdrawal of US support for disease surveillance. “That gap is not just a statistic; it is a painful reality that allows the virus to spread undetected through communities,” he said.

More than 70 health facilities have been destroyed by conflict, while the country has only 0.2 doctors per 1,000 people. Oxfam reported that deaths are increasingly being recorded before patients are identified as Ebola cases, particularly in North Kivu province.

Aid funding for the DRC has fallen by 46%, from $2.58 billion in 2024 to $1.4 billion in 2026, forcing humanitarian agencies to scale back operations. “When trusted community outreach teams disappear, rumours spread faster than the virus,” Rebordosa said, warning that fear of healthcare facilities is driving many families to rely on traditional remedies and delaying treatment.

Residents are already witnessing the impact. “I brought my child to the hospital when I noticed she had a fever, and she is now being tested. We are very worried,” said Tibakanya Mireille, a mother of five in Ituri. “The disease has already killed several people in our community.”

Oxfam has launched a six-month, $11.6 million intervention aimed at providing clean water and hygiene kits to 200,000 people in Ituri province, but the organization said far greater support will be needed to contain the outbreak.

By Vafa Guliyeva