Virunga Park builds Ebola screening posts amid violence and aid cuts
8 reported
Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is constructing five Ebola screening posts along roads leaving the affected area, according to park director Emmanuel de Merode. The park, home to mountain gorillas and spanning about 2 million acres, faces a volatile combination of rebel violence and a burgeoning Ebola outbreak. De Merode told NPR on June 3 that the past few weeks are the worst his team has experienced in 30 years, citing a lack of vaccine for the current Ebola strain, a dramatic drop in international aid, and extremely violent armed conflict. The park is funding the posts, each costing $44,000, with some completed by the end of next week and others later this month. De Merode noted that the health services in North Kivu Province, which has 11 million people, had only two body bags, prompting the park to purchase 100 within 48 hours and order 1,000 more. Violence has spiked, with two staff killed 10 days ago in a militia attack, five injured last Thursday, and two more killed on the day of the interview. The park has closed tourism to protect the mountain gorillas, which are highly susceptible to Ebola, with an estimated one-third of the global gorilla population already killed by the virus in past outbreaks.
What’s reported
Virunga National Park is building five Ebola screening posts on roads leaving the Ebola-affected area.
Each screening post costs $44,000 and includes at least six buildings, a diagnosis room, an isolation center, and staff accommodations.
The park has over 800 rangers, with about 200 in the south protecting mountain gorillas.
Two staff were killed 10 days ago in a militia attack, five were injured last Thursday, and two more were killed on June 3.
U.S. aid to DRC was $1.4 billion in 2024 and just over $400 million in 2025.
North Kivu Province had only two body bags; the park purchased 100 within 48 hours and ordered 1,000 more.
Mountain gorilla population is estimated at over 1,200 across Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC, with about a third in Virunga.
An estimated 98% of gorillas who get Ebola die from the virus, and it has already reduced the global gorilla population by approximately one-third.
Key figures
Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park
Sources: NPR
