Visualised: how conflict, aid cuts and health-worker attacks are helping Ebola spread in DRC

Nearly two months after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confirmed an Ebola outbreak in one province, the virus is continuing to spread rapidly, reaching more parts of the country and infecting more people.

According to government data from 8 July, 1,759 cases and 600 deaths have been recorded. The virus has also spread to Uganda, where there have been 20 confirmed cases, including two deaths.

The outbreaks are caused by the rare Bundibugyo variant, which has no approved treatment or vaccine.

Wessam Mankoula, the head of emergency preparedness and response for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on Thursday that the outbreak was the fastest growing ever, not only of the previous Bundibugyo outbreaks but of all the different viruses that cause Ebola.

In another worrying development, the Congolese health ministry said suspected cases had now been recorded in the provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uélé, indicating the continued spread of the disease beyond the centre in Ituri.

Experts say the spread of the disease has been intensified by several factors, including ongoing conflict, aid cuts and attacks on healthcare workers and treatment centres. They also warn that the outbreak could become the deadliest on record.

How have these factors affected the spread of the disease and measures to contain the outbreak?

A dangerous overlap of conflict and disease

The DRC outbreak was first reported in May in Ituri province in the north-east. It has spread to the neighbouring provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

The three regions are sites of lengthy armed conflicts, involving different actors, that have caused deaths and displacements. Ituri is the centre of a long-running conflict between militias vying for control of its mineral resources.

Ladd Serwat, a senior analyst at the Acled conflict monitoring group, said armed groups in the province have complicated humanitarian access in the past, particularly where communities are perceived to be aligned with rival ethnic groups.

In North Kivu and South Kivu, the Congolese army and allied militia are fighting the M23 rebel coalition. The government and the rebels control different parts of the province.

Serwat said that although health workers can travel through the provinces, the administrations will make it more difficult to coordinate the medical response and the sharing of information.

He added: “The overlap between militant activity, population displacement and weak state control could significantly complicate efforts to contain the outbreak.

An assessment by the International Organisation for Migration earlier this year found that 3.3 million displaced people live in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, the last of which hosts 1.2 million alone.

The collapse of humanitarian funding

Humanitarian funding for the DRC declined sharply in 2025, largely because the Trump administration froze foreign aid assistance to programmes funded through the state department.

Carla Martinez, the DRC head at the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the reduction in funding forced more than 10 humanitarian organisations to reduce or suspend activities.

That weakened local health systems and surveillance networks, making it harder to detect and contain outbreaks quickly and increasing the risks posed by Ebola and other diseases, she explained.

“The Ebola outbreak is a stark reminder that when humanitarian systems are underfunded, they become more vulnerable to new emergencies,” she said. “Without additional resources, both the public health response and broader humanitarian operations will come under increasing strain, with potentially serious consequences for the DRC and the wider region.”

Healthcare under attack

Healthcare workers and treatment centres for Ebola have come under attack both in the current outbreak and past ones in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. The incidents include violence, riots and property damage, and disrupt the provision of essential services.

During the current outbreak, 10 Red Cross volunteers have been attacked, with four sustaining injuries, said Alex Lock, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

He noted that most of the incidents occurred during safe burials conducted by Red Cross volunteers and were caused by mistrust fuelled by rumours and misinformation circulating about the disease.

In one incident during a burial last month, four volunteers were injured, including two who were severely hurt and had to be airlifted to the capital, Kinshasa, for treatment.

Misinformation about the virus and distrust of health responders has been fuelled by the decades-long unrest and outside interference in eastern DRC.

Lock said the attacks force them to halt or postpone critical response activities, disrupting vital containment efforts and putting community members at greater risk.

“An immobilised colleague means a direct reduction in response capacity,” he said. “This hinders our operational effectiveness and benefits no one, neither the community in need nor those of us working tirelessly to support them in containing and eradicating the virus.”