Ebola Epidemic Expands: New Cases in Uganda, EU Aid Arrives

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda continues to escalate, with two new infections confirmed in Uganda’s capital Kampala on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total to seven confirmed cases. As the rare Bundibugyo strain spreads faster than containment efforts, 100 tons of emergency humanitarian aid dispatched from Liège, Belgium, arrived in eastern DRC on Tuesday to support overwhelmed health workers.

A Growing Crisis

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported over 900 suspected cases and at least 220 suspected deaths since the outbreak was first detected in early May. Of those, 101 cases have been laboratory-confirmed, including 82 in DRC and seven in Uganda. The epicenter remains Mongbwalu, a gold-mining town in Ituri Province, northeastern DRC, where the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17.

“The situation will probably first worsen before there is improvement,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Monday, adding that “at the moment the epidemic is going faster than us.” Tedros traveled to DRC on Tuesday alongside senior WHO official Chikwe Ihekweazu to assess the response firsthand.

A Dangerous Strain

Unlike most Ebola outbreaks in DRC — which is experiencing its 17th outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976 — this epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics. Only two previous Bundibugyo outbreaks have been recorded: Uganda in 2007 (149 cases, 37 deaths) and DRC in 2012 (57 cases, 29 deaths).

Researcher Laurens Liesenborghs of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, who has been deployed to Kinshasa, explained the challenge: “They already have a lot of experience with Ebola there, but usually with a different variant. With this variant, testing is more difficult and there are no medicines for it, that is the big problem.” Current vaccines and treatments, including the Ervebo vaccine, were developed against the Zaire strain and are ineffective against Bundibugyo.

International Response Mobilizes

The European Union has approved €15 million in additional humanitarian aid, with a cargo plane carrying 100 tons of supplies — including medicines, protective equipment, tents, and infection control materials — flying from Liège to Ituri via Nairobi. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, present at Liège airport for the departure, said: “This epidemic poses a national and regional danger and deserves full international attention.”

The UN has mobilized a major response. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated up to $60 million from the Central Emergency Fund (CERF), while WHO released $3.9 million from its contingency fund and deployed 22 international staff. The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO has airlifted nearly 30 tons of emergency supplies and is running an air bridge to affected areas.

Africa CDC has established a continental incident management support team with WHO and warned that 10 countries are at risk of further spread. “Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighboring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC.

Violence and Mistrust Hamper Response

The outbreak is unfolding in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, regions scarred by decades of armed conflict where approximately four million people need urgent humanitarian assistance. Fighting has intensified in recent months, displacing over 100,000 people and hampering health operations.

Community mistrust poses an equally serious threat. At least three attacks on health facilities have occurred in Ituri, including two weekend assaults on Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital where 25 patients fled. A furious crowd torched Ebola hospital tents on May 22 after authorities refused to release a deceased family member’s body over contamination fears.

Dr. Richard Lokodu, Medical Director of Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, said: “There is denial of the disease within the population, with some members wanting to claim the bodies of suspected and/or confirmed cases.” Unsafe burials, driven by cultural practices and mistrust, are a major driver of transmission.

Three Red Cross volunteers have died from suspected Ebola in DRC, and at least four healthcare workers have been killed. Gabriela Arenas of the IFRC noted: “During an Ebola outbreak, trust and community acceptance can mean the difference between containment and wider transmission.”

Women at Greatest Risk

As in previous Ebola outbreaks, women are disproportionately affected. Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action, explained: “Women are more likely to be infected in the first place. This is because Ebola transmission follows social realities. The virus spreads along the lines of caregiving, domestic labour, frontline health work and burial practices.” During the 2018-2019 DRC outbreak, women and girls accounted for roughly two-thirds of reported cases.

What Comes Next

WHO and partners are accelerating work on experimental treatments, with clinical trials planned for monoclonal antibodies and the antiviral drug obeldesivir. However, Tedros has warned that responders are “playing catch-up” and the outbreak is likely to worsen before it improves.

Neighboring countries — particularly South Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi — are on high alert. Rwanda has announced tightened border screening as a precautionary measure. The France24 reported that two suspected cases in Italy’s Lombardy region tested negative, but the risk of further international spread remains significant.

With no approved vaccines, a conflict-ridden response zone, and deep community mistrust, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether this outbreak can be contained before it becomes the deadliest Bundibugyo outbreak in history.