The virus returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, claiming the lives of a father and mother within 24 hours and leaving their children to bury them on consecutive days. For the families living in the rural town of Bikoro, the outbreak feels like a cruel replay of 2018, when the same region was ravaged by one of the worst Ebola epidemics in history.
Marie, a 42-year-old mother of four, watched her husband die in the morning. The next day, she followed him. Their children, ages 8 to 16, are now orphans. “It happened so fast,” said a neighbour who asked not to be named. “The parents died one day apart. We buried them one day apart. The children were silent. They have no one left.”
The World Health Organisation has confirmed 14 cases in the past week, with four deaths. The epicentre is a small cluster of villages near Mbandaka, a city on the Congo River. Health workers are scrambling to trace contacts and administer vaccines, but the region is remote and infrastructure is poor. The hospital in Bikoro lacks running water and electricity.
This is Congo’s 14th Ebola outbreak. The last one in 2018 killed 33 people before it was contained. But the country is also battling measles, cholera and a fragile peace after years of conflict. “We cannot fight another Ebola epidemic on our own,” said a local doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We need support from the international community. We need vaccines. We need money. We need people to care.”
The virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids. Symptoms include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding. The current strain is the Zaire strain, one of the deadliest. The fatality rate can reach 90 percent without treatment. But with early care, that figure drops to 10 percent. The problem is getting care to the sick in time.
The government has declared a new outbreak in Equateur Province. President Felix Tshisekedi has promised resources, but his administration is stretched thin. The health ministry says it has sent a team of experts to the region. Yet local reports suggest they have not yet arrived.
For the children burying their parents, the trauma is immediate and lasting. “The children will now be cared for by extended family, but there is no guarantee they will not become sick themselves,” said a Red Cross volunteer who helped with the burials. “They must be monitored for 21 days. That is the incubation period. Every day is a countdown.”
The economic impact of the outbreak is already being felt. Markets are empty. Traders have fled. The price of cassava, the staple food, has doubled. “It is not just the virus” said a community leader. “It is the fear. People are afraid to touch each other. They are afraid to buy food. They are afraid to go to work.”
The WHO has pledged to support the government’s response. But funding is limited. The world is still dealing with COVID-19, which has diverted attention and resources from other diseases. “Ebola is not a forgotten disease” said a WHO spokesperson. “But it is a persistent one. We must not let our guard down.”
In Bikoro, the graves are fresh. The children are silent. The virus is still there.