The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has issued an urgent international appeal to scale up the humanitarian and medical response to a severe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where public health figures confirm more than 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
Caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, the epidemic has spread across eight Congolese provinces, with its heaviest concentration in the volatile eastern region. According to data from the Congolese National Institute of Public Health cited by the NRC, the outbreak currently stands at 10,060 confirmed cases with a fatality rate approaching 50 percent, making it the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak recorded in the nation’s history. The recent identification of cross-border cases in Kenya and Nigeria has further heightened concerns regarding broader regional contagion.
Operating across 19 affected health zones—including heavily impacted areas in Ituri province—the NRC reported that current international resources remain dangerously inadequate to stem transmission among populations already destabilized by chronic conflict, displacement, and damaged civic infrastructure. In response, the organization is deploying infection prevention measures, rehabilitating water and sanitation systems, conducting community hygiene campaigns, and safeguarding educational institutions. The NRC urges international donors, health authorities, and aid agencies to rapidly coordinate funding and deliver localized relief interventions to prevent further catastrophic loss of life and systemic collapse across the region.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA