Distrust, conflict hamper Congo's Ebola response

A health worker in protective equipment carries out safe burial procedures beside the coffin of a suspected Ebola victim outside a family home in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 24, 2026. Michel Lunanga/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michel Lunanga/Getty Images KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is spiraling, with health workers struggling to contain the virus as it spreads across a vast and conflict-torn region. According to the latest government figures, there are more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and up to 246 people are suspected to have died from the disease so far. The outbreak is believed to have been spreading for weeks before it was officially declared on May 15. The epicenter of the outbreak is in Mongbwalu, a poor gold-mining town of 130,000 people, in Ituri province, in eastern Congo. "The situation is currently very concerning, with active transmission ongoing everywhere around here in Mongbwalu," said Dr. Esther Sterk, a tropical disease specialist with Doctors Without Borders, who is working in the town. "Every day there are many community deaths and suspected patients arriving at the hospital. This probably is only a small proportion of all cases at the moment," she added. Deep mistrust among some people in the town is hampering response efforts to the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus — for which there is no vaccine. …