The Democratic Republic of Congo faces its largest Ebola outbreak, with the Bundibugyo strain claiming over 5,300 lives at a fatality rate exceeding 50%. While strict containment rules prohibit relatives from touching infected children, survivors like 29-year-old Jerkis Mahamba leverage their acquired immunity to provide emotional and physical care in isolation wards. Despite ongoing efforts by aid agencies, misinformation and rumors have sparked deadly violence against outreach workers.
Ebola survivors caring for isolated children
- ▪Ebola survivors hired by Médecins Sans Frontières in Butembo leverage acquired immunity to comfort, play with, and feed isolated children whose parents are barred from physical contact.
- ▪Jerkis Mahamba, a 29-year-old Ebola survivor who recovered after 18 days of treatment in September 2026, was hired by Médecins Sans Frontières to care for sick children at Kitatumba Reference Hospital in Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Impact of isolation protocols on families
- ▪Patients in Ebola isolation wards in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo experience severe stress and fear of dying due to physical separation from family members.
- ▪Strict safety protocols at Kitatumba Reference Hospital in Butembo bar relatives from entering isolation rooms, forcing family members like Kambale Syavula Volonté to view sick children through glass windows.
Attacks on health workers
- ▪In late October 2026, machete-wielding youths attacked two community health workers raising Ebola awareness in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing one nurse and wounding another worker.
- ▪Hostility and violent attacks against health personnel in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have severely hindered public education and containment efforts during the country's 17th Ebola outbreak.
Casualties and spread of the outbreak
- ▪The Ebola outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May 2026 has crossed international borders, killing two people each in Kenya and Uganda.
- ▪The Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused 5,372 deaths in the country and infected over 10,414 people, pushing the fatality rate above 50 percent.
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