The discharge of Ebola survivors from Mongbwalu hospital has produced rare public celebrations and helped rebuild trust in care at the epicentre of an outbreak in Ituri province. Survivors like Daniel Kitambala left after two negative tests, while a new local lab and stronger infection-control measures have sped diagnosis and improved safety. Despite progress, more than 140 deaths have been recorded and many contacts remain untraced, leaving the outbreak far from contained.
Recovered Ebola Patients Spark Rare Celebrations at Ituri Outbreak Epicentre
"Grace has been shown to us," sing health workers at the epicentre of DR Congo's Ebola outbreak [BBC]
It is an unusual scene in a town marked by loss: singing, clapping and visible relief as survivors of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola leave treatment. At Mongbwalu hospital in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, staff in green scrubs escorted 49-year-old Daniel Kitambala out of the clinic after two negative tests confirmed he was free of the virus.
[BBC]
"That disease is terrible. I was feeling very ill, but God is great — I am well now," Kitambala told reporters as healthcare workers chanted, "grace has been shown to us; grace has been shown to patients." Dressed simply and carrying a small bag of sterilised belongings, he walked between orange netting that marks the exit route, raising his hands in a victory salute.
More than 170 people in DR Congo are confirmed to have died from Ebola during the current outbreak [Amensisa Negera / BBC]
Hope Amid A Deadly Outbreak
More than 140 deaths have been confirmed in Ituri province since the outbreak was declared just over a month ago. The locally circulating Bundibugyo strain has proved fatal in roughly one in five known cases, health officials say. Yet each recovery — and the visible celebrations that sometimes accompany them — has helped shift public perception and encouraged more people to seek care.
Those worst affected are treated inside cubicles [Amensisa Negera / BBC]
Dr Richard Lukodu, Mongbwalu hospital’s medical director, said recoveries have begun to restore trust. "We have seen a huge difference in the community since the first patient recovered and returned home. More people are coming here now seeking treatment," he said.
[Getty Images/BBC]
Barriers To Containment
Stopping the outbreak remains difficult. Local myths, including a belief dubbed the "coffin curse," have fuelled suspicion of treatment centres; both Mongbwalu and a centre in nearby Rwampara were set on fire in May. Rumours that burning treatment centres ended previous outbreaks have been particularly damaging, dating back to attacks during the 2018–2020 epidemic in North Kivu.
Diagnostic capacity has improved: a new laboratory at Mongbwalu now returns results within a day, compared with more than a week when samples were sent to Bunia. Infection-prevention measures have also been strengthened, but medics remain at risk; five health workers have died in this outbreak and several more are being treated.
Community stories underscore the human cost. Mireille Gahindo and her 11-month-old tested positive after the child’s condition deteriorated; both are now improving. Families such as Eli Asimwe Bawere’s have already lost relatives and plead for an end to further deaths.
What Needs To Happen Next
Health officials stress that ending transmission requires comprehensive contact tracing: every person who had contact with an infected individual must be located and monitored. Many contacts are still being missed, and until they are found the recent recoveries, however encouraging, may not be enough to stop the virus from spreading.
In a region where fear and misinformation have complicated the response, each discharge offers crucial hope — but also a reminder of the urgent work that remains to contain the outbreak.
Help us improve.
