Ebola reaches displacement camps in DR Congo as outbreak worsens

According to the UN News service, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that 19 internally displaced people had been infected and five had died.

UNHCR confirmed that at least five of the 69 displacement camps in Ituri province have reported Ebola cases, raising concerns over the spread of the disease among vulnerable communities. However, the agency said no infections have been recorded among refugees or asylum-seekers.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has resulted in almost 4,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths, according to local authorities. It is centered in Ituri province but has also affected North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo, regions that together host around 4.4 million internally displaced people.

UNHCR warned that overcrowded camps, limited access to clean water and sanitation, and distrust of health services increase the risk of transmission. The affected provinces also overlap with areas heavily impacted by years of conflict and mass displacement in eastern DRC.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an urgent expansion of the response, saying efforts must be rapidly scaled up across all sectors. He also urged stronger coordination with the Congolese government, better protection for healthcare workers, expanded access to treatment and safe burials, as new cases have doubled in some outbreak hotspots over the past week.

The United Nations, humanitarian partners and Congolese authorities are expanding disease surveillance, laboratory testing, treatment and community engagement, while UN peacekeepers are helping protect healthcare facilities. In May, the UN allocated up to $60 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund toward the Ebola response.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Moderna had launched a Phase 1 clinical trial for its experimental mRNA-1469 vaccine targeting Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV).