Four hospital staff died from Ebola in four days at the Bunia Evangelical medical centre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dr Vladimir Maduali, a 30-year-old doctor who had graduated from the University of Bunia just three years ago, was the fourth member of staff to succumb to the disease in as many days when he died in the early hours of Sunday at the Rwampara isolation centre, where he had spent two days on oxygen therapy. Two days later, his colleague Dr Tibenderana Katho Blaise also died of Ebola at the same facility. The deaths mark a devastating toll on frontline healthcare workers in the latest outbreak to hit eastern DRC.
Healthcare workers under siege
Dr Richard Lokudu, medical director of Mongbwalu hospital, some 45 miles from the provincial capital Bunia, said the conditions under which staff are fighting the virus are “precarious and agonising”. Since the outbreak was identified this month, he reported that five members of his staff are thought to have contracted the virus, three of whom have died, although testing has yet to catch up with the infections or death toll. “We have already lost three nurses at our hospital. We assume they had been in contact with Ebola carriers; the test results may confirm or refute these assumptions. These nurses worked here with passion and, sadly, they are no longer with us,” he said, adding that two other nurses remain very sick.
Beyond the hospital wards, volunteers from the Congolese Red Cross have also paid a heavy price. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated on Saturday that three volunteers – Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane – died over 11 days. They are believed to have contracted Ebola while carrying out dead-body management activities on March 27 as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola, before the outbreak was officially identified. One died on May 5, the other two on May 15 and 16, making them among the first known victims of the current crisis.
Dr Lokudu compared the plight of those on the frontline to soldiers in a war. “We who are fighting Ebola work like soldiers. It may well be that others, myself included, will follow Vladimir tomorrow. We are fighting for the same cause: to save human lives from this Ebola epidemic,” he said.
A delayed alarm and a perfect storm
The Ebola outbreak – the 17th in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976 – was officially declared on May 15 in Ituri Province. It is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, unlike some other Ebola species. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, and has urged countries neighbouring the DRC to coordinate across borders. Uganda has already closed its border with the DRC.
As of May 25, the Congolese health ministry reported more than 900 suspected cases and 220 deaths across North and South Kivu and Ituri provinces. According to health professionals, the outbreak was not detected quickly, a failure that is thought to have contributed to its spread. Dr Lokudu explained: “The problem is that the disease wasn’t recognised at the outset. It was only when we noticed the deaths of people on the frontline, that’s when we realised the problem was becoming increasingly serious and that we needed to investigate to find out what was causing the spate of deaths.”
The region is already grappling with severe insecurity, population displacement, mining-related movement and frequent cross-border travel, all of which increase transmission risk. Attacks on health facilities have been reported, including incidents where armed young men stormed Mongbwalu General Hospital demanding bodies of relatives, forcing evacuations amid gunfire, driven by community distrust and anger over burial practices. Bodies of Ebola victims are highly infectious after death, making safe burials crucial but often a flashpoint for resistance.
Koko Buroko, an international relations analyst, pointed to the dismantling of Western development aid programmes as a factor. “Most African countries whose health sectors have not progressed rely on international aid. In a country like the DRC, health services are run by numerous organisations. Many NGOs in the development sector were funded by USAID, which no longer exists,” he said, arguing that this has increased rural communities’ vulnerability. The outbreak is also unfolding against a backdrop of acute hunger, with nearly 10 million people facing food insecurity in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces. Community fear of the disease has led to a decline in accessing essential health services, raising the risk of increased maternal and neonatal mortality.
Professor Jean-Jacques Tamfum Muyembe, head of the National Institute for Biomedical Research and co-discoverer of the Ebola virus, acknowledged the particular threat to frontline staff. “There is no cure for this disease. Together with our partners, we are considering how to protect those on the frontline, including healthcare workers,” he said.
A life devoted to medicine
Dr Maduali was born in Kisangani, north-east DRC, his mother’s second child. He left in 2019 to move nearly 400 miles to Bunia to continue his studies. His death has devastated his family, where he was the main breadwinner. His aunt had opened a small restaurant in Kisangani to raise money for his school fees, his younger brother Josué said. “It was with the ultimate aim of him becoming useful to society one day.”
Josué Maduali recalled his brother’s lifelong passion. “He was passionate about medicine. From a young age, he saw his future only in medicine. That is why he studied maths and physics at secondary school and medicine at university – with the aim of saving lives.” When they last spoke, the young doctor was shocked at the possibility he could have contracted Ebola. “Among the things he feared most was death. When he was admitted to hospital, he didn’t believe he could be suspected of having Ebola. His jaw dropped. When he tested positive for Ebola, he was psychologically devastated.” Yet even then, Josué said, “When he was taken to isolation at Mongbwalu hospital, he told me he had a better chance of surviving this dangerous disease.”
His brother now hopes the DRC’s leaders will honour the work he and other healthcare workers have done.