Congo widens Ebola testing drive

Congo has widened Ebola testing in its eastern provinces after laboratory results showed about 260 positive samples, sharpening concern that the outbreak’s true scale remains unclear despite intensified surveillance.

Health authorities are working through expanded diagnostics, case tracing and community screening after suspected infections crossed 1,000, with more than 220 deaths still under investigation. The outbreak, declared on 15 May in Ituri province, has spread into North Kivu and South Kivu, while Uganda has confirmed linked cases, underscoring the risk posed by cross-border travel, strained health systems and insecurity in areas already affected by armed conflict.

The disease is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rarer form of the virus for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. That has placed greater emphasis on early detection, isolation, supportive care, safe burials and infection-control measures in clinics. Patients can survive with timely care, including rehydration, pain management and treatment of secondary infections, but delayed presentation sharply raises the risk of death and further transmission.

The expanding count reflects both the severity of the outbreak and the acceleration of testing. Congo’s health ministry says laboratory capacity has improved, with the system now able to process a larger daily volume of samples. Around 900 samples have been tested, and authorities say the backlog that had obscured the picture is being reduced. International health teams, however, have warned that hundreds of suspected cases and deaths still need classification, meaning the final toll could shift significantly as results are verified.

Ituri remains the centre of the outbreak, with confirmed infections reported in Bunia, Rwampara, Mongbwalu and other health zones. North Kivu and South Kivu have also reported cases, raising concern because of population density, displacement and movement along trading routes. More than 2,600 contacts have been listed for follow-up in affected areas, though insecurity, poor road access and mistrust of response teams have complicated monitoring.

Health workers are among those infected, highlighting weaknesses in protective equipment, triage systems and infection prevention inside clinics. Ebola often spreads in health facilities when staff do not immediately identify suspected cases or lack adequate gloves, masks, gowns and isolation space. Aid groups have warned that some treatment centres and field teams are short of basic supplies, while local authorities maintain that the response is being strengthened and that testing needs can be met.

World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus travelled to Bunia and urged communities to seek care early and avoid unsafe burials. “Seeking care early makes a real difference,” he said, while warning that bodies of Ebola victims remain highly infectious. His appeal followed reports of crowds attacking health facilities in attempts to retrieve bodies for traditional burial practices, a known driver of Ebola transmission when mourners touch the deceased without protective measures.

Congo’s health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba, has rejected suggestions that the outbreak is beyond control, citing the country’s long experience in fighting Ebola. “We have experience with epidemics. We defeated Ebola last year. Trust us, we know what we are doing,” he said during the health mission in Ituri. The government has also urged neighbouring countries to avoid border closures, arguing that restrictions can push movement into informal routes and make surveillance harder.

Uganda has closed its border with Congo after confirming linked cases, including infections in Kampala and Wakiso. Health teams there are following hundreds of contacts after cases connected to transport, medical care and hospital exposure. The regional spread prompted the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern, though the event has not been classified as a pandemic emergency.

The outbreak is Congo’s 17th Ebola episode since the virus was first identified in 1976 and is already among the country’s largest by early case indicators. Earlier outbreaks in eastern Congo showed how quickly the disease can become entrenched when violence, displacement and public mistrust disrupt response work. Armed groups, crowded displacement sites and mobile populations around mining and trading zones have made Ituri and neighbouring provinces particularly difficult places for outbreak control.