Real Horror: 17 Medics Dead, More Than 70 Infected As Ebola Outbreak Escalates

By Swift Reporter

Seventeen healthcare workers have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a rapidly expanding outbreak continues to overwhelm an already fragile health system, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

According to WHO emergency director Marie Roseline Belizaire, 75 healthcare workers have contracted the virus since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15. The deaths underscore the heavy toll the disease is taking on frontline medical personnel in a country already facing a severe shortage of healthcare workers.

“The outbreak remains serious and is evolving so fast,” Belizaire told reporters via video link from eastern DRC, the epicentre of the crisis.

Health authorities believe the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola had been circulating for months before officials formally announced the outbreak, exposing doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff before they were aware of the virus’s presence.

“It is a really high price that the healthcare system is paying, because we don’t have enough healthcare workers in DRC,” Belizaire said.

The DRC has one of the lowest healthcare worker-to-population ratios in the world, with approximately 11 health workers for every 10,000 people, according to WHO data. To help bolster the response, Belizaire said China and Uganda are deploying medical teams to assist local authorities.

Despite ongoing efforts to contain the outbreak, many healthcare facilities continue to face shortages of essential protective equipment, including gloves, masks and other personal protective gear needed to prevent infections among frontline workers.

The psychological impact on medical staff has also become a growing concern. WHO officials said they are providing counselling and mental health support to healthcare workers who have witnessed colleagues become infected or die from the disease.

“When they are explaining to you how they live it, how they were infected, it can break your heart,” Belizaire said.

Death Toll Surpasses 200

The Congolese government reported on Thursday that the outbreak has infected 896 people and claimed 232 lives across 31 health zones nationwide. Health officials warn that the outbreak has not yet reached its peak.

The crisis has raised particular alarm in displacement camps across eastern DRC, where overcrowding, poor sanitation and limited access to healthcare create ideal conditions for the virus to spread.

In Kigonze camp, located in Ituri province, at least 30 people have died since early May. Camp officials described the mortality rate as unprecedented. Authorities were initially unable to confirm whether Ebola was responsible because many residents resisted testing of both living patients and the deceased.

However, witnesses and humanitarian workers reported that many of the victims displayed symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, including fever, severe headaches and vomiting.

“People didn’t just die like this before,” said camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi.

Kigonze camp is home to more than 15,000 displaced people. The growing number of deaths there has intensified concerns that the virus could spread widely among the more than five million displaced people living in eastern DRC.

Funding Challenges Threaten Response

Aid organizations warn that international funding cuts are weakening efforts to contain the outbreak. Reduced donor support for water, sanitation and hygiene programmes—critical measures in preventing the spread of Ebola through bodily fluids—has left vulnerable communities at greater risk.

United Nations data shows funding for sanitation facilities and handwashing stations in the DRC fell by more than half between 2024 and 2025, dropping to approximately $38 million. An $80 million humanitarian appeal for this year remains only 21 percent funded.

Meanwhile, African Union member states have pledged nearly $1 billion to support emergency response efforts in eastern DRC and neighboring Uganda, which has reported 19 Ebola cases and two deaths linked to the outbreak.

With hundreds of displacement camps scattered across the country and Ituri province accounting for more than 90 percent of confirmed infections, health officials warn that urgent action is needed to prevent the outbreak from escalating into a wider regional crisis.

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