At least 30 die in Congo displacement camp as Ebola spreads undetected

30 Deaths at Congo Camp Raise Fears of Fast Ebola Spread

At least 30 people have died since early May in the Kigonze displaced persons camp in Bunia, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a death rate camp officials described as unprecedented and one that suggests Ebola may be spreading rapidly among the facility’s more than 15,000 residents, according to Reuters.reuters

The deaths raise alarm that the virus could be circulating undetected among eastern Congo’s more than 5 million displaced people, many of whom live in overcrowded camps with minimal sanitation infrastructure. Families in Kigonze have declined to allow Ebola testing on either living patients or deceased bodies, severely hampering containment efforts.usnews

A Widening Outbreak With No Vaccine

The outbreak, declared on May 15, involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. As of mid-June, Congo had documented hundreds of confirmed cases and more than 200 deaths nationwide, with transmissions detected across 17 of the 36 health zones in Ituri province. The virus has also crossed into Uganda, which has reported multiple cases.apnews

United Nations data shows that funding for water and sanitation programs in Congo was slashed by more than half from 2024 to 2025, dropping to roughly $38 million, while this year’s appeal for $80 million is only 21 percent funded. U.S.-sponsored aid projects across three Ebola-affected provinces have also been curtailed.reuters

Violent Resistance to Burial Teams

Containment has been further complicated by violent resistance to safe burial protocols. In early June, residents in South Kivu province attacked an Ebola burial team, forcing responders to abandon a coffin. The Red Cross, whose volunteers carry out safe burials in affected communities, has warned that such incidents accelerate transmission, since Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals.reuters

Three Red Cross volunteers have themselves died from suspected Ebola likely contracted while managing dead bodies, the organization reported in late May.bbc

Race Against Time

The Red Cross warned on June 15 that the outbreak has not yet peaked and could last a year. With one handwashing station and one infrared thermometer serving an entire camp of displaced people in Bunia as recently as late May, health workers have described the response infrastructure as woefully inadequate. The combination of community resistance, funding shortfalls, and an absence of effective medical countermeasures has left responders racing to contain a virus that thrives in precisely the conditions eastern Congo’s displacement camps provide.aljazeera