The World Health Organization has warned that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading largely undetected, raising concerns that the true scale of the crisis could be far greater than official figures suggest.
According to the WHO, ongoing conflict, remote terrain, and deep community distrust have severely hampered surveillance and response efforts, making it difficult for health workers to identify and isolate new cases.
The organization estimates that the actual number of infections could be five to ten times higher than the 1,561 confirmed cases reported so far.
Officials say contact tracing is reaching less than 40 percent of known cases, allowing the virus to spread unnoticed in many communities.
Health workers have also reported that some remote villages remain cut off for weeks, with clusters of deaths only discovered when burial teams eventually reach the affected areas.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment, making rapid detection and isolation critical to slowing transmission.
The WHO is urging stronger surveillance, greater international support, and improved access to affected communities to prevent the outbreak from worsening.
As response teams continue working under extremely challenging conditions, health officials warn that controlling the outbreak will require urgent action and sustained international cooperation.
