from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – DEMOCRATIC Republic of the Congo — One month after an Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that efforts to contain the disease are falling dangerously behind its spread, raising fears that the true scale of the crisis remains unknown.
The outbreak has rapidly expanded across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, with Ituri accounting for almost 95 per cent of reported infections.
While Congolese authorities, supported by international partners, have intensified response efforts, MSF says serious shortcomings in surveillance, testing, contact tracing and community engagement continue to hamper containment measures.
Official figures show more than 650 confirmed cases and over 130 deaths since the outbreak began. However, MSF believes the actual numbers could be significantly higher.
“No one knows the true scale or exactly where the disease is spreading in DRC,” said Kate White, MSF’s emergency medical coordinator in the country.
“Most treatment centres in Ituri are overwhelmed, many patients arrive at a late stage of illness, and the majority were never identified or monitored as contacts before seeking care.”
Health workers face major obstacles in reaching affected communities, particularly in areas plagued by insecurity and armed conflict.
Decades of violence, displacement and fragile healthcare systems have left many communities vulnerable and difficult to access, creating conditions that allow the virus to spread undetected.
Testing remains one of the most pressing concerns.
Although laboratory capacity has increased and hundreds of mobile test kits tailored to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola have been deployed, MSF says access remains uneven and delays in receiving results continue to undermine response efforts.
“Without faster and more widely available testing, we will struggle to detect cases early enough to contain the outbreak,” White said.
The outbreak has also exposed deep mistrust among some communities, particularly in Ituri, where residents have seen a sudden influx of Ebola response teams.
MSF says building trust is as important as medical intervention.
“People’s concerns need to be listened to, and communities should help shape the response,” said Frederic Lai Manantsoa, MSF’s emergency coordinator in DRC.
Humanitarian organisations have stressed that routine healthcare services must not be neglected amid the Ebola response.
Patients still require treatment for malaria, cholera and other illnesses, while children need vaccinations and pregnant women require maternal healthcare.
MSF, which has established treatment centres across the affected provinces and deployed nearly 600 staff, says the outbreak can still be contained.
However, it warns that time is running out.
“This outbreak can still be brought under control, but the window for action is narrowing,” Lai Manantsoa said. “The response must urgently match the scale of this crisis.”
– CAJ News