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[Herald Economy = Reporter Lee Won-yul] The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is reporting more than 900 suspected Ebola cases as the outbreak continues, deepening instability across affected areas.
On May 24 (local time), the DRC information ministry posted on X (formerly Twitter) that, as of the previous day, authorities had recorded 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Officials have confirmed 101 cases and 10 confirmed deaths. No recoveries have been reported to date.
The ministry’s earlier tallies showed 867 suspected cases and 204 suspected deaths on May 22, and 746 suspected cases with 176 suspected deaths for May 21.
The cumulative suspected death count reported for May 23 was lower than the totals for May 21 and 22. Authorities say testing indicated some deaths were not due to Ebola or were caused by other illnesses. The DRC government has not provided a separate public explanation.
The World Health Organization has assessed the outbreak’s risk within the DRC as “very high,” while maintaining that the risk of global spread remains low.
The outbreak is concentrated in Ituri province in eastern DRC, and conditions are deteriorating. Local response efforts face major obstacles: armed groups operate in the area, international aid has been cut back, and community anger and resistance are hampering containment and treatment operations.
According to the Associated Press, residents reportedly set fire to two Ebola treatment centers last week in the Ituri localities of Rwampara and Mongbalu, Yonhap reported. Analysts say the unrest reflects widespread local frustration driven by rebel violence, mass displacement, breakdowns in local governance, and reductions in humanitarian assistance.
The outbreak’s impact is not limited to the DRC.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union’s health agency, warned that the DRC and Uganda, along with 10 neighboring countries — Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia — face heightened risk from the outbreak. The agency said frequent population movement and unstable security in the region are factors that could accelerate transmission, Yonhap reported.
Governments around the world are tightening entry screening to reduce the chance of imported cases.
For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport to the list of airports with enhanced Ebola screening, after Washington Dulles International Airport.
The United States now requires travelers who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the preceding three weeks to enter the country only through designated Ebola screening airports.
At those airports, public health officials must implement heightened measures, including reporting of in-flight illnesses and enhanced post-arrival monitoring.
The United Kingdom is tracking travel routes from affected countries and operating a monitoring program to protect citizens who travel to high-risk areas.
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