Foreign News
Ebola Outbreak May be Spreading Faster than First Thought, WHO Doctor Warns
People living close to the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak which has killed 131 people have expressed their fear, as a World Health Organization (WHO) representative warned cases may be spreading faster than originally thought.
One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, said infected people were dying “very fast”, and added: “Ebola has tortured us.
”Officials said more than 513 cases were suspected in DR Congo as of Tuesday, while one person has died in neighbouring Uganda.
The WHO’s Dr.
Anne Ancia said that the more the agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes that cases have spread to other areas.Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released on Monday suggested there had been “substantial” under-detection, and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases.
The study suggested that the current outbreak is “larger than currently ascertained” and that its “true magnitude remains uncertain”.
A man who spoke to journalists and identified himself as Bigboy said people are “really scared” and doing what they can to protect themselves.
He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could get access to other protective supplies such as face masks.
Another Ituri local, Alfred Giza, said people in the community are aware of the threat and waiting to receive face masks to protect themselves, but that he would not know what to do if a family member or friend contracted the disease.
The Red Cross warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information and health systems are overwhelmed, adding that “we are seeing all those conditions” in the current outbreak.
On Tuesday, DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi called for “calm” and urged Congolese citizens to remain vigilant, after holding a crisis meeting on Monday evening.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak an international emergency last week, said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”.
It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on 24 April.
There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola virus fuelling the latest rise in cases, but the WHO is evaluating whether other drugs may provide protection.
Ancia said DR Congo’s Ituri province was a “much unsecured area with lots of movement of population”, making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease.
She continued: “The more we investigate this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already spread at least a little bit across borders and also in other provinces.”
The outbreak has spread to the province of South Kivu, where the population has been affected by a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.
There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s biggest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 people and is under the control of Rwandan-backed rebels.
High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around often, increasing the risk and spread of the virus, she said.
Several African countries are taking precautions by tightening border screenings and preparing health facilities. Neighbouring Rwanda has also closed its borders with DR Congo. Uganda has told people to avoid hugging and shaking hands.
An American citizen, believed to be missionary group doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.
Germany’s health ministry told the BBC a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.
WHO and other agencies are working with governments and communities to try to stop the spread of the virus, urging residents to follow preventative measures and report to the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms.
Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to the flu, with fever, headache and tiredness.
As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.
The virus spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
The Bundibugyo strain fuelling this rise in cases is rare, and has previously only caused two outbreaks, when it killed about a third of those infected.
Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.
It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine.
The disease spread to a number of countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the US, UK and Italy, killing 11,325 people.
Poland plans to ban mobile phones in all primary schools from next academic year under draft legislation approved by the government on Tuesday.
The proposal, which will now be submitted to parliament, would take effect on September 1, 2026.
In Poland, primary school education runs through the eighth grade.
The planned law would prohibit the use of mobile phones and other devices capable of recording audio or video during lessons and breaks.
The ban would apply to both public and private schools, the Education Ministry said.
Exceptions would be permitted when the use of a phone is required for teaching purposes, educational support, or for health and safety reasons.
Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said the measure is a response to calls from teachers for stricter rules on smartphone use in schools.
She said that more than half of Poland’s schools have already introduced similar restrictions on a voluntary basis.
The government also approved a package of measures aimed at strengthening child protection online, which must likewise be approved by parliament.
The proposals include tighter restrictions on minors’ access to websites containing pornography and measures designed to speed up the removal of illegal online material.
Under the plans, operators of adult-content websites would be required to verify users’ ages anonymously, without collecting browser data or personal information.
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reopened the main airport in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the country’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, after a 10-day suspension of commercial flight operations.
The airport in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, resumed operations on Tuesday following the implementation of health and safety measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease.
The DRC is currently battling a major outbreak of Ebola, a highly contagious haemorrhagic fever that is suspected to have claimed at least 246 lives in the country and neighbouring Uganda, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
On May 23, authorities halted all commercial flights to and from Bunia Airport in eastern DRC, a region already affected by armed conflict. During the closure, only humanitarian and medical flights were permitted to operate.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said the temporary shutdown was necessary to allow authorities to introduce measures designed to safeguard travellers and limit the risk of transmission.
Announcing the reopening on Tuesday, the transport ministry said an assessment of the outbreak response and monitoring systems had been conducted.
“Conditions are now in place for a gradual and safe resumption of flights.”
The government said the reopening would be carried out progressively while health authorities continue efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are celebrating after five patients, who had Ebola and now recovered, were allowed to leave the hospital.
The current outbreak is suspected to have killed almost 250 people.
But those infected can get better and officials stress that people should seek medical help if they believe they have contracted the virus.On Sunday, there was a ceremony for a group of four nurses who were discharged from a hospital in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak.
“We were really demoralised because we knew that at some point… we were going to die. That was it… I’m telling you, if you have never been isolated, you will not know that it’s not easy,” Nurse Etienne Ezo told the Reuters news agency as he reflected on his experience.
The first survivor, a laboratory worker, to have recovered left hospital last week.
Health workers are on the frontline in the battle against the spread of the virus and are often the most at risk.
“This encouraging milestone bears witness to the effectiveness of field interventions: early detection, medical care, contact tracing and community engagement,” DR Congo’s Institute of Public Health wrote on social media.
Its director, Dr. Mwamba Kazadi, described the recoveries as a victory worth celebrating, adding that early detection and strong care make a difference.
Tedros has called on communities to work with medical staff after some residents attacked health centres over strict burial rules. The bodies of those suspected of having died of Ebola are not allowed to be handled by grieving relatives, regulations which clash with local traditions.
In a joint statement with the Congolese government on Sunday, he said local communities are “at the heart of the solution” and that “success” in their response depends on their trust and engagement.
“Persistent challenges include early detection and isolation of cases, contact tracing, safe and dignified burials, robust infection prevention and control in health facilities, and strong community awareness.
“The Government and WHO call on all communities to continue adopting protective behaviours, including regular hand hygiene, early care seeking in health facilities, and sharing accurate information.”
There are now more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases in the DR Congo, and at least 246 deaths. Neighbouring Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases and one death.
But in some affected areas, there is a sense of normality. In Bunia, schools and markets are open as people continue to go about their daily activities.
The current outbreak – the 17th in DR Cngo’s history – is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines, though some are being worked on now.
While cases are concentrated in DR Congo’s Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces, and some in Uganda’s capital Kampala, people have also been tested outside of Africa.
Health officials in Brazil said on Saturday that they were investigating two suspected Ebola cases in São Paulo state.
Meanwhile, protests have erupted in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki over US plans to construct an Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens at an air base.
Residents marching through the streets say the facility may expose local people to infection and an outbreak of the virus. There have been no recorded cases of Ebola in the country.
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