Rising deaths at Congo displacement camp raise fears of rapid Ebola spread

Health officials and aid workers are growing increasingly concerned after at least 30 people died over the past several weeks.

Health officials and aid workers are growing increasingly concerned after at least 30 people died over the past several weeks at a displacement camp in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where an Ebola outbreak is already spreading. The unusually high number of deaths has raised fears that the virus may be circulating undetected among thousands of vulnerable people living in overcrowded conditions with limited healthcare and poor sanitation.

The deaths have been reported at Kigonze camp in Bunia, which is home to more than 15,000 displaced people. According to camp officials, the number of fatalities since early May is unlike anything they have experienced before. Many of those who died reportedly suffered from headaches, fever and vomiting, symptoms commonly linked to Ebola. However, confirming the cause has proven difficult because many families initially refused to allow health workers to test patients or examine the bodies of those who had died. Camp representatives said that attitude only began to change this week, with medical teams finally collecting samples from several victims while waiting for laboratory results.

Aid organisations working in the camp described a deeply worrying situation. Staff from the Catholic charity Caritas reported seeing several bodies lying under white sheets, including those of children and a pregnant woman. Video footage recorded by local civil society members showed health workers dressed in protective clothing disinfecting bodies and preparing small coffins while grieving families gathered nearby. Officials said the camp usually records only one to three deaths each month, making the recent surge especially alarming.

Residents say living conditions have made it difficult to control the spread of disease. Families often share small plastic shelters built close together, while children move freely through narrow dirt paths without proper sanitation. Toilets are too few for the camp’s population and frequently overflow, forcing residents to empty them by hand. Camp leaders believe these conditions have increased the risk of disease transmission, not only for Ebola but also for illnesses such as cholera, which can produce similar symptoms and spread rapidly in crowded communities.

The latest outbreak was officially declared by Congolese authorities on May 15, although officials acknowledged that deaths linked to the disease had begun earlier in the month. Ituri province remains the hardest hit area, accounting for more than 90 percent of the country’s confirmed Ebola cases. Health experts now fear that other displacement camps across eastern Congo, where more than five million people have fled violence, could also become hotspots if infections continue to go undetected.

Aid agencies have also warned that recent reductions in international funding have weakened efforts to improve water, hygiene and sanitation services in displacement camps. United Nations figures show that financial support for sanitation projects in Congo dropped sharply between 2024 and 2025, leaving many humanitarian programmes struggling to meet basic needs. Several major organisations, including Mercy Corps, CARE International, Oxfam and the Danish Refugee Council, said funding cuts forced them to reduce or cancel projects that previously provided clean water and public toilets to thousands of displaced families.

The United States has traditionally been one of the largest supporters of water and sanitation programmes in Congo while also contributing significant funding for Ebola response efforts. However, humanitarian organisations say reductions in aid have affected essential services in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities. Health workers continue urging residents to cooperate with testing and prevention efforts, warning that early detection remains the best chance of stopping the outbreak before it spreads further.