Only one in five health facilities in Ituri, one of the epicentres of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has access to enough clean water, according to new Oxfam field data.
The findings raise urgent concerns about the spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus as access to clean water remains the first line of defence against transmission, raising fears that the true scale of the outbreak is underestimated.
Oxfam’s field data shows that in Mongbwalo, a town of nearly 140,000 people and one of the outbreak's epicentres in Ituri province, only 20 percent of people have access to clean water and 25 percent functional sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. Many families are forced to use water contaminated by chemical runoff from mining operations.
These findings highlight a wider crisis across Ituri province, where contaminated water sources, collapsed handwashing infrastructure and healthcare centres are struggling to safely dispose of infectious waste. Many frontline workers still lack basic protective equipment.
Oxfam’s Field Response Coordinator in Ituri Province, Manel Rebordosa, who is based at the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC, said:
"Water - the absolute first line of defence in any public health emergency is simply not available. Miners working in the surrounding areas have no toilets and handwashing stations then return home to communities already battling the virus. Clean water costs two dollars for 20 litres. For most families here, that is far beyond what they can afford."
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed this is now the largest Bundibugyo outbreak on record. The DRC Ministry of Health has confirmed 782 cases and 181 deaths across 25 health zones, but Oxfam warns the real toll is likely far higher.
Unlike the 2018 outbreak, there is no licensed vaccine or approved therapeutic for the Bundibugyo strain, making clean water and sanitation a critical component of the response.
Contact tracing, the backbone of any Ebola response, has fallen to just 43 percent coverage. This sits far below the 79 percent recorded one month into the 2018–2020 outbreak in the same region.
"Following the withdrawal of US funding for disease surveillance and severe funding shortfalls, contact tracing is reaching fewer than half of the contacts. That gap is not just a statistic, it is a painful reality that allows the virus to spread undetected through communities," said Rebordosa.
Global humanitarian funding for the DRC has been slashed by 46 percent, from $2.58 billion in 2024 to $1.4 billion in 2026, forcing aid agencies to scale back. Local organisations have received less than 6 percent of resources.
"This outbreak is not only a health emergency but a warning about the consequences of sustained funding cuts. When essential services like clean water, sanitation and community outreach are reduced, it becomes far harder to contain deadly diseases.
We know from past outbreaks what works. Without urgent investment in frontline responders and local organisations, there is a real risk that the virus will continue to spread and claim more lives."
— Jim Clarken, CEO of Oxfam Ireland
The aid cuts have forced organisations to reduce outreach teams, limiting efforts to combat misinformation and prevent the spread of the virus.
“When trusted community outreach teams disappear, rumours spread faster than the virus. People now fear healthcare facilities, which they see as deathtraps. Families are turning to traditional remedies, which risks delaying treatment and allowing the virus to spread further. Every day without funding, the virus takes more lives,” said Rebordosa.
Oxfam is working with partners and has scaled up its response, launching an $11.6 million six-month intervention to provide clean water and hygiene support to 200,000 people in Ituri province and support community-led awareness efforts. However, this remains far short of what is needed.
Jim Clarken added: “The international community must act now by restoring funding and prioritising frontline responders, or risk repeating the failures of past outbreaks with devastating consequences.”
According to DRC’s Ministry of Health, as of 13 June, there are 782 confirmed cases and 181 confirmed deaths.
The outbreak is caused by a rare Bundibugyo version of the Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccine or therapeutics. The current Bundibugyo outbreak is the largest of its kind and the third largest Ebola outbreak on record according to the CDC, only behind the 2018-20 Kivu Ebola epidemic in the DRC and the 2014-16 West African epidemic.
According to the Conseil National des Fora des ONG humanitaires et de Développement in DRC (CONAFOHD DRC), less than 6 percent of resources for the Ebola response has been allocated to local organizations in DRC.
According to World Bank data, DRC has approximately 0.2 physicians per 1,000 people
Uganda has now recorded 15 confirmed Ebola cases, including eight newly confirmed infections and one death. Oxfam is providing protective equipment and supporting with infection prevention and community engagement efforts.
"This outbreak is not only a health emergency but a warning about the consequences of sustained funding cuts. When essential services like clean water, sanitation and community outreach are reduced, it becomes far harder to contain deadly diseases.
