Humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, say the true scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains unclear, with the peak potentially not yet reached and the outbreak possibly lasting up to a year, Reuters reported on June 16. This assessment is driven by major data gaps, weak surveillance and community resistance hindering testing, contact tracing and safe burials, while health systems in eastern Congo remain under strain due to limited treatment capacity and inconsistent laboratory, hospital and surveillance data, raising concerns about undercounting and duplication as the outbreak expands.

The Bundibugyo Ebola virus originated in Ituri province in eastern Congo and has since spread to surrounding areas, including parts of North and South Kivu, with confirmed cross-border risk into Uganda. In response, neighboring countries, including Rwanda and Uganda, have temporarily closed their borders with Congo. Official data indicate at least 800 confirmed infections and nearly 200 fatalities, ranking it as the third most lethal Ebola outbreak recorded to date.