Ebola Suspected in DR Congo as Over 30 Die, Including Children

At least 30 people, including children, have died since the beginning of May at a camp for displaced persons in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

Camp authorities have described the mortality rate as unprecedented, raising severe anxieties that the deadly Ebola virus is spreading rapidly based on the victims' symptoms, Reuters reports.

According to the Reuters report, patients and their relatives at the Kigonge camp in Bunia—the epicenter of the country's Ebola outbreak—refused to allow health officials to test samples from either the deceased or the living. As a result, the exact cause of death has not yet been laboratory-confirmed.

However, according to the camp spokesperson, a grieving father, several aid workers, and local civil society leaders, almost all of the deceased exhibited symptoms such as headaches, high fever, and vomiting, which are classic indicators of Ebola.

The Kigonge camp is home to more than 15,000 people. These recent deaths have sparked fresh concerns that Ebola could be spreading undetected among eastern Congo's population of over five million displaced persons. The situation is further aggravated by limited health and sanitation infrastructure, compounded by a widespread reluctance to undergo medical testing.

Diz'jo Etienne, the camp’s president, stated that they had never witnessed people dying at such a rate before. Ten people were buried this week alone, whereas previously, the camp recorded an average of only one to three deaths per month.

Justin Zanamuzi, director of the Catholic relief agency Caritas, noted that his team visited the camp on Wednesday (June 17) and saw several bodies wrapped in sheets, including pregnant women and children.

A video verified by Reuters showed health workers in specialized protective gear disinfecting bodies and preparing small coffins. "Our team requested that they allow doctors to examine the bodies, but they completely refused," Zanamuzi said.

Although the DR Congo government officially declared an Ebola outbreak on May 15, officials noted that the fatalities had begun even before that date.

Nonetheless, experts point out that cholera symptoms can often mimic those of Ebola, though cholera generally does not spread from person to person in the same manner as Ebola.

Kato Lonu, a camp resident who lost two of his children—including a six-month-old infant—expressed his anguish: "Living like this is unacceptable for any human being. Everywhere you look, people are dying one after another."

Aid workers emphasized that the spike in deaths underscores how a decline in international funding for water, hygiene, and sanitation has left people increasingly vulnerable.

According to United Nations data, funding for constructing toilets and handwashing stations in Congo has plummeted by more than half to approximately $38 million. Against a funding appeal of $80 million for the current year, only 21 percent has been received so far.