DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreading largely undetected: WHO official

The true scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may be significantly larger than official statistics indicate, with many infections going undetected, a senior World Health Organization(WHO) official said on Friday.

WHO Emergencies Director Chikwe Ihekweazu said four out of every five new Ebola ​cases in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have no known link to existing patients, making it harder for health workers to trace transmission chains.

The latest government data showed 1,792 infections and 625 deaths, while WHO modeling suggests the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than official data suggest.

About 90 percent of all reported cases remain concentrated in Ituri province but the virus has also spread beyond the epicenter to ‌North ⁠Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo provinces.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutics.

Health officials in Gaza warned Saturday of a severe health crisis in the enclave, with critical shortages of medicines, equipment and ambulance services threatening hundreds of thousands of patients.

Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Medical Relief Organization in Gaza, said the health system has not received promised medical convoys since the ceasefire, leaving a critical shortage of medicines and equipment, with medical testing supplies deficit exceeding 87 percent.

He noted that over 24,000 patients with chronic conditions lack proper care, and that many of the more than 300,000 hypertension patients have suffered serious complications due to interrupted treatment.

With summer heat intensifying, he warned of rapidly spreading infectious diseases in crowded displacement camps.

Meanwhile, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement that 70 percent of ambulance vehicles are out of service due to direct targeting, mechanical failures and lack of spare parts, warning that the continued ban on the entry of tires and spare parts could paralyze the transportation system.

The deteriorating situation drew condemnation from Fatah official Munther al-Hayek, who, in a radio interview, described the situation as “a full-fledged war led by the United States through Israel.”

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in effect since Oct 10, 2025.