So far, three Congolese provinces had been affected by the Ebola epidemic: Ituri (bordering Uganda and South Sudan), neighbouring North Kivu, and South Kivu. Twenty cases, including two deaths, have been recorded in Uganda.

Haut-Uélé is now the fourth Congolese province to be affected. This region, adjacent to Ituri, shares borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

A source at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed that an infected individual travelled from Ituri to Haut-Uélé, introducing the virus to the area. A health source later stated that the patient died.

Health officials are tracing the chain of transmission and identifying possible contact cases. In many instances, the disease was spread during funeral rites. The body of an Ebola victim is extremely contagious.

For weeks, humanitarian workers on the ground have been trying, despite strong public resistance, to arrange burials that follow strict sanitary procedures to prevent any human contact with the bodies of the deceased.

In the DRC, as elsewhere in Africa, funeral ceremonies often last several days, with family and loved ones typically touching the body during these rituals.

These regions are also scarred by armed group violence

Incidents have been reported in recent weeks at several health centres, often sparked by angry community members demanding the return of their relatives’ bodies.

Haut-Uélé shares many characteristics with Ituri: both are remote borderlands rich in gold, making them hubs for intense movement and trade — conditions that accelerate the spread of the virus.

These areas are also plagued by armed groups. In Ituri, massacres have been frequent for around ten years, carried out by community militias or the ADF, an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State.

The ADF has recently made incursions into Haut-Uélé, which is also troubled by violence from armed groups originating in neighbouring countries. The security context in which the Ebola epidemic continues to grow is a major obstacle to the health response, which was launched late. Humanitarians and scientists say health authorities were slow to detect the virus.

According to epidemiological investigations still to be confirmed, the first suspected deaths may date back to January. In Ituri, efforts have recently been stepped up, but health facilities, often operating with minimal resources in one of the world’s poorest countries, still lack basic equipment such as protection kits and chlorine.

Ebola treatment centres set up with WHO teams and several NGOs are already overwhelmed, with an occupancy rate exceeding 138%, according to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). So far, 78 healthcare workers have been infected, and 18 have died.

Experts and health officials agree that more than six weeks after the official declaration of the epidemic, the peak has not yet been reached, and the crisis could last between six months and a year. Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the last 50 years.

The deadliest outbreak in the DRC caused nearly 2,300 deaths out of 3,500 recorded cases between 2018 and 2020.