Ituri Province, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is facing a double threat -- a public health emergency and a chronic security crisis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed on Monday that a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the DRC has caused 220 suspected deaths, as health officials struggle to catch up with the epidemic.
While 101 confirmed cases and 10 confirmed deaths have been reported, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the true scale is likely much larger. He noted there are now over 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths, according to his remarks at the Virtual Ministerial Briefing on the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak on Monday.
Ituri, which borders Rwanda, has been mired by the DRC's conflict with the neighboring country and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group for several years. Tedros said in a post on X that nearly 5 million people in the province live amid ongoing conflict, with one in four in need of humanitarian assistance and one in five internally displaced.
For the thousands of displaced families, access to basic healthcare has become a luxury, while overcrowding in the camps is exacerbating the spread of the Ebola virus.
"With Ebola and the insecurity, our situation is really difficult; we're spending a lot of money. Our expenses have multiplied. Our situation has become difficult. We no longer have enough to eat, and our children have become street children. They have nowhere to live. Where we live, things are so complicated. Our houses are in a terrible state. Our situation is very difficult," said Decana Isaac, an internally displaced person and motorbike taxi driver.
At the Kigonze site north of Ituri's capital, Bunia, displaced people decry the lack of preventive measures. There are no handwashing kits and no apparent efforts to raise awareness on preventing the spread of Ebola.
"We are asking for handwashing kits. And above all, the most important thing here, what we are asking for, is toilet maintenance. The toilets are already overflowing. There are rats running around in the toilets and getting into the pots. First and foremost, we are asking for help to empty our toilets. We are emptying them with our hands. This is essential to prevent this disease," said Richard Uchinga, another internally displaced person.
Others simply wish to return home amid worsening conditions, but enforcing social distancing remains nearly impossible in the overcrowded camps.
Outside the camp, Bunia is among the hardest-hit areas. Although screening measures are in place at the airport and some public spaces, healthcare workers face significant challenges in their efforts to protect public health.
"We have isolated cases of resistance. Nevertheless, most travelers understand and let us take their temperatures. We are asking the Congolese government to provide us with protective equipment. At the moment, we have nothing. We're making do with what we have. Sometimes we use a face mask for as long as two days," said Sylvie Alicama, a health worker at Bunia Airport.
In the meantime, they do their best to rein in the crisis before it spirals out of control.
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC, declared as a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, has also spread to Uganda, which has five confirmed cases and one death.
The Ebola strain involved is the Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved vaccines or therapeutics exist. Previous outbreaks of this strain occurred only twice - in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012. The WHO has recommended prioritizing two monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials.
DR Congo province faces Ebola crisis amid persist unrest
