Nearly 300 Ebola Patients in Congo Have Gone Missing as Outbreak Threatens to Spiral

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Friday that 297 people diagnosed with Ebola have gone missing, raising fears they may be spreading the virus in the community without medical supervision. The concern comes as the country faces a deadly outbreak that authorities say could still worsen significantly.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of Africa CDC, said the biggest worry is locating those patients. He noted that about 30% of new cases are being found in people who were not previously identified as contacts by health authorities, a sign of extensive community transmission. "This is our biggest concern, where are these people?" he said.

Officials say the main obstacle to containing the outbreak is the ongoing armed conflict. More than 1 million displaced people are living in camps that health teams cannot access, preventing epidemiological investigations and contact tracing. Kaseya said, "We cannot stop this outbreak without solving the humanitarian issue."

So far, Congo has recorded 1,118 confirmed cases and 291 deaths, while neighboring Uganda has reported 20 infections and two deaths. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, is the largest ever documented five weeks after being declared. Treatment centers are 95% full, and Kaseya warned the country has not yet reached the peak. The World Health Organization projects about 8,210 infections and 1,420 deaths by mid-September, with a high-transmission scenario potentially pushing cases to 66,000 by September. WHO also sees a 70% chance the virus will spread to South Sudan in the coming weeks, and the disease has already reached Europe after a French doctor who worked in Congo tested positive upon returning home.