The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has now become the deadliest in the country’s history, with confirmed cases spreading to a sixth province in the north. The virus also threatens to cross into neighboring South Sudan, escalating regional health risks.

Authorities declared the 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, several weeks behind schedule, marking it as the most significant health crisis of its kind in DRC’s recorded history.

The previous deadliest outbreak in the country claimed nearly 2,300 lives out of 3,500 confirmed cases between 2018 and 2020.

Current figures show the virus has already claimed over 2,128 lives from 4,566 confirmed cases within just three months of its declaration, according to the latest health ministry data.

Initially, five provinces were affected: Ituri (bordering Uganda and South Sudan), North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, and Tshopo. However, a death attributed to Ebola was reported in Bas-Uélé, a northern province bordering the Central African Republic, previously untouched by the outbreak, confirmed Jean Kaseya, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), during an online briefing.

The victim had traveled from the neighboring Haut-Uélé province, where Ebola cases had already been documented, Kaseya noted. He emphasized that the outbreak is progressing at an unprecedented global rate.

Unprecedented spread of Ebola in DRC

Three months into the outbreak, the DRC has recorded seven times more cases and five times more deaths than were documented in the first three months of the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the deadliest on record, according to Africa CDC.

Despite the alarming situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday, stating it aims to reverse the upward trend within three months.

High-risk corridors threaten South Sudan

The international aid organization Mercy Corps has raised concerns about the virus’s potential spread to South Sudan, which shares borders with Ituri and Haut-Uélé provinces—both severely impacted by Ebola.

“Confirmed cases are now located just 35 kilometers from the South Sudan border, along high-risk movement corridors,” the organization warned in a statement.

Challenges in containing the outbreak

Efforts to control the outbreak are being hindered by overwhelmed health services, inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, distrust among communities, and persistent insecurity that prevents health teams from reaching affected populations.

In the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, the response is further complicated by active conflict zones. The Congolese army is engaged in clashes with the M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda, which has seized large territories in the region.

Despite these obstacles, health authorities announced on Monday that the Ebola outbreak in South Kivu had been declared over after no new cases were reported for over 42 days.

Earlier this month, a suspected Ebola-related death was reported aboard a boat traveling the Congo River toward Kinshasa. However, no additional cases were detected among passengers, who were permitted to disembark near the capital.

Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, causes severe hemorrhagic fever and has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.