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Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Surpasses 1,000 Confirmed Cases With 254 Deaths
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported on June 23, 2026, that confirmed cases in the eastern Ebola outbreak had reached 1,003 with 254 deaths, while 100 patients recovered and 365 others remained hospitalized or in isolation facilities. The Bundibugyo virus strain, for which no approved vaccines or specific treatments exist, prompted the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization weeks after the outbreak’s official announcement on May 15 in Ituri province. Ongoing rebel violence in the region has limited response operations, leaving patient zero unidentified and contact tracing at just 55 percent coverage for more than 35,000 identified contacts.
The Congo Ministry of Health provided the updated figures that placed the case fatality rate near 25 percent for this 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the country. A World Health Organization assessment found that cases had risen faster in the initial weeks than in any prior Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak stands as the second largest on record in the nation.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya highlighted the scale of the outbreak and stressed the importance of identifying the index case to strengthen containment strategies. The ministry’s data indicated that efforts to trace and monitor contacts continued despite security constraints in Ituri, where multiple health zones including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu have reported transmission. Health workers have faced risks, with several infections occurring among personnel responding to the crisis.
The World Health Organization determined on May 17 that the cross-border spread to Uganda warranted the public health emergency declaration after two laboratory-confirmed cases appeared in Kampala linked to travel from Ituri. CDC figures as of mid-June showed 20 confirmed cases and two deaths in Uganda, where 14 patients had recovered. Separate laboratory testing ruled out additional suspected cases that had initially raised concerns about wider dissemination.
Conflict in eastern Congo has repeatedly disrupted public health campaigns, a pattern observed across previous Ebola responses in the region according to WHO reporting. The current outbreak emerged in remote mining areas with high population movement, complicating isolation and surveillance activities. Authorities have isolated hundreds of suspected cases while scaling up laboratory testing capacity in affected provinces.
WHO data through late June placed the cumulative confirmed cases across both nations near 1,023 with 256 total deaths. The Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for the vast majority, with transmission reported in at least 20 health zones in Ituri and additional zones in North Kivu and South Kivu. Response teams continue to prioritize contact monitoring and safe burial practices even as projections indicate the peak of the outbreak has not yet arrived.
