New york: No fewer than 2,700 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with about 500 new cases emerging weekly. UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres has warned that the worsening Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak could claim more lives unless the international community urgently expands funding and containment efforts. He emphasized the need for urgent international action and additional financing to prevent the epidemic from spreading further. Guterres highlighted that the current humanitarian response is only 48 percent funded, with available resources likely to last merely weeks.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that while interventions have slowed transmission, they have yet to reverse the overall trend. Insecurity, displacement, and weak health systems have complicated containment efforts, with the outbreak spreading through areas battered by decades of conflict. More than 12 million people in these regions require humanitarian assistance and protection. In Ituri Province alone, about one million people have been displaced, increasing the challenges associated with surveillance, contact tracing, treatment, and prevention.
The ongoing insecurity has compounded the health emergency, with more than 40 healthcare workers killed and treatment centers and ambulances attacked during the response. UN humanitarian agencies have reported that responders are consequently fighting both Ebola and violence, making some affected communities difficult to reach. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has deployed 35 additional safe and dignified burial teams and 286 community-based teams involving more than 2,500 volunteers and civil protection personnel.
WHO has also deployed over 260 experts and delivered more than 330 tonnes of essential medical and logistical supplies to support treatment, surveillance, and containment operations. The World Food Programme is aiding frontline operations and medical evacuations through the UN Humanitarian Air Service. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has screened over one million people regionally and launched a preparedness plan covering 11 countries due to growing concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly into neighboring Burundi.
WHO reports that Burundi has recorded no confirmed cases but is strengthening laboratory procedures, response guidelines, and public awareness due to its proximity to affected Congolese areas. Meanwhile, WHO has declared Uganda free of its Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak after 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case, following 20 infections and two deaths. The 42-day benchmark is the internationally established criterion for determining that an outbreak has ended.