Game meat, funeral rites: what explains the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo?

In rural areas of DR Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), a deadly strain of the Ebola virus has devastated local communities, causing more than 100 deaths and triggering a global health emergency.

The virus was first discovered in the country in 1976 and remains a constant threat. The Central African country has recorded 17 outbreaks, more than any other in the world - and a serious outbreak between 2018 and 2020 left 2,299 dead.

Ebola - an often fatal virus that causes severe symptoms including high fever and internal and external bleeding - originates in wild animals.

It is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected wild animals, such as fruit bats, porcupines and non-human primates such as monkeys, according to the WHO (World Health Organization).

Once the virus enters a community, it spreads quickly between people through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of the Ebola virus. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, the Bundibugyo variant currently has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Scientists believe that humans first contracted Ebola by hunting, handling or eating infected wild animals. This type of food - particularly bats, monkeys, voles and antelope - remains popular in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just one reason why Ebola remains a danger today.

Poison in the prey
Recurrent outbreaks in DR Congo are linked to its geography. Vast, dense forests cover more than 60% of the country's territory (more than 150 million hectares), serving as a natural breeding ground for Ebola.

People mourn as workers prepare to remove the body of someone believed to have died of Ebola at Mongbwalu General Hospital, during the response to the Ebola outbreak in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 20, 2026. - Michel Lunanga/Getty Images
For many rural residents in the Congo Basin - the world's second largest rainforest - where bushmeat represents up to 80% of local protein intake, hunting wild animals is a matter of survival, not preference.

However, this vital food source serves as the main gateway for the transmission of deadly viruses from animals to humans, according to Eteni Longondo, the country's former Minister of Public Health.

Longondo told CNN that regulating hunting in the country's dense forests and preventing communities from consuming wild animals, particularly carcasses, remains a significant challenge for health authorities.

"It all starts in the forest, and we have no control over it," he said, noting that traditional hunting habits cannot be changed overnight.

"You can't just tell people to abandon their culture and they stop immediately. They continue to eat bushmeat because they have no other alternative," he explained.

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DR Congo is rich in minerals, but more than 80% of its 100 million inhabitants live in extreme poverty.

The situation is particularly serious in the east, where an active armed rebellion has allowed a powerful rebel coalition to take control of vast territories, displacing millions of people and plunging the region into a serious food crisis.

This Thursday (21), the rebels confirmed a case of Ebola in Bukavu, a city under their control in South Kivu province. They reported that the patient, a 28-year-old man, had died and was safely buried. In addition, the rebels announced the identification of a separate case of Ebola in Goma, the largest city in the east of the country, also under their control.

Rumors and rituals
The current Ebola outbreak mainly affects the province of Ituri, in the east of the country, located in the northeastern corner of the Congo basin. According to the WHO, most cases are concentrated in the provincial capital, Bunia, and the mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.

The first suspected case involved a healthcare worker whose symptoms began on April 24 and who later died at a medical facility in Bunia, the WHO said.

People attend the burial of an Ebola victim at a cemetery in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, during the Ebola outbreak on May 20, 2026. - Michel Lunanga/Getty Images
On May 5, the organization was notified of an "unidentified disease" associated with high death rates in the province. Following an investigation by a "rapid response team" on May 13, the outbreak was identified as the Bundibugyo strain on May 15.

The virus has also reached neighboring Uganda, where health authorities confirmed two laboratory cases, including one death, in the capital Kampala. Both cases involved individuals who traveled separately from DR Congo, with no connection between them, the WHO said.

"People are panicking," said Valet Chebujongo, a community mobilizer from Bunia.

However, he told CNN that the terror comes less from the virus itself and more from a wave of misinformation and superstition, which fuel the spread of the virus and undermine local containment efforts.

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"In Mongwalu, people are saying that there is a coffin (ghost) going around that causes instant death just by being seen," he said, explaining that rumors like this are causing some to reject medical help in favor of prayer, magic and traditional practices.

Adding to the crisis, Chebujongo noted that a local funeral custom, which involves mourners touching the deceased, may have contributed to the rise in infections.

Baraka Nakashenyi, a resident of Mongwalu, one of the most affected areas, confirmed that this practice continues to be common, despite the risks.

"Touching (the corpse) for the last time" is considered "the final farewell" for the bereaved family members, Nakashenyi explained.

Many others are now "afraid to consume smoked game meat, regardless of its origin", said Junior Kambale Bawili, another Bunia resident. Bawili told CNN that it is common to find specialized restaurants that serve game meat.

Gloomy timeline
The rapid spread of the virus has caused international alarm.

Jeremy Konyndyk, who previously led Covid-19 and disaster response efforts at USAID, suggested that "multiple generations of transmission" must have "already gone undetected" before the outbreak was officially confirmed, describing it as "a big, big problem."

Workers disinfect the Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital during the response to the Ebola outbreak in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 20, 2026. - Michel Lunanga/Getty Images
The WHO has warned that the rapid spread of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is cause for serious concern as the number of deaths has risen to at least 160 in this Thursday, with at least 1,261 suspected cases. However, the organization played down fears of a global spread, saying the risk of transmission is greatest at national and regional levels.

In response to the threat of transmission, the United States imposed emergency restrictions on travel by non-U.S. persons from affected countries and South Sudan. Additionally, an infected American who tested positive for the virus in DR Congo was flown to Germany for medical treatment.

Building on decades of improving its containment strategies, DR Congo's Ministry of Health said the country has "proven experience" in managing Ebola.

"Declared 16 times, conquered 16 times. The 17th day will be no different", published the Ministry in X, reaffirming its resilience.

However, former Health Minister Longondo laid out a grim timeline for containing the disease, citing his own experience managing a previous outbreak that lasted weeks.

"The outbreak will last a few months," he told CNN.

Ebola: what it is, symptoms and treatment

Source: CNN