The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has grown more severe, with authorities reporting an estimated 131 deaths linked to the disease and 513 suspected infections.
The latest figures, announced by Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba, mark a sharp rise from earlier estimates of 91 deaths and 350 suspected cases recorded in the country’s east.
Speaking on national television, Kamba warned that the numbers remain provisional, noting that investigations are still ongoing to confirm whether all reported deaths were directly caused by Ebola.
“We have recorded roughly 131 deaths in total and we have around 513 suspected cases,” he said.
The outbreak, driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has already triggered international concern. The strain currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, making containment efforts more challenging.
The World Health Organization recently declared the outbreak a global health emergency, citing the speed of its spread and the growing risk beyond Congo’s borders.
The epicentre of the outbreak is located in Ituri province in northeastern Congo, near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan. The area’s busy gold-mining economy and constant movement of traders and workers have heightened fears of wider transmission.
Health officials say the virus is no longer confined to the outbreak zone.
Suspected cases have surfaced in Butembo, a major commercial centre in neighbouring North Kivu province, about 200 kilometres from the outbreak’s origin. Another infection has been recorded in Goma, a strategic eastern city currently under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.
Kamba blamed delays in community reporting for worsening the crisis.
“Unfortunately, the alert was slow to circulate within the community because people believed it was a mystical illness,” he said. “As a result, many sick people were not taken to hospital early.”
The slow response has complicated efforts to track infections, particularly as only a limited number of laboratory tests have been conducted so far. Much of the current assessment relies on suspected rather than fully confirmed cases.
Ebola remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases, having claimed more than 15,000 lives across the continent over the past five decades. With no vaccine available for the current strain and infections appearing in new locations, health authorities now face mounting pressure to contain the outbreak before it spreads further across Central and East Africa.