Scale of Ebola virus outbreak likely under-estimated – Oxfam

With only 0.2 doctors per 1000 people and more than 70 health facilities destroyed by conflict, the DRC's health authorities are struggling to identify new infections fast enough to interrupt transmission. In North Kivu, deaths are being reported in communities before patients are ever identified as Ebola cases. More families are caring for sick relatives at home, unknowingly exposing others to the virus.

Global humanitarian funding for the DRC has been slashed by 46 percent -from $2.58 billion in 2024 to $1.4 billion in 2026 - the lowest coverage rate in a decade, forcing aid agencies to drastically scale back. Local organizations, often the primary responders during outbreaks, have received less than 6 percent of recent humanitarian funding according to the DRC NGO forum.

The aid cuts have forced organizations to reduce outreach community teams stripping away a critical pillar of the response. Furthermore, the severe shortage of personal protective equipment, sanitation facilities and clean water infrastructure continue to constrain response operations, making it increasingly difficult to combat both misinformation and the spread of the virus.

"When trusted community outreach teams disappear, rumors spread faster than the virus. People now fear healthcare facilities, which they see as deathtraps. Families are turning to traditional remedies, which risks delaying treatment and allowing the virus to spread further. Every day without funding, the virus takes more lives," said Rebordosa.

Tibakanya Mireille, a mother of five in Ituri, said: "I brought my child to the hospital when I noticed she had a fever and she is now being tested. We are very worried. Here, two houses have been quarantined, and one family lost several relatives after caring for a sick relative, which caused others to be sick. The disease has already killed several people in our community of Shari, in Bunia."

Oxfam is working with partners and has scaled up its response to the Ebola outbreak, mounting an initial $11.6 million six-month intervention to provide clean water and hygiene kits to 200,000 people in Ituri province and to support community-led awareness. However, this falls far short of what is needed.