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8h ago

Ebola Outbreak in DRC Tops 200 Deaths and Spreads to Uganda

The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, prompting rapid plans for clinical trials even as insecurity slows containment.

Des membres du personnel médical, en combinaisons de protection, près du cercueil d'un patient décédé du virus Ebola dans un hôpital à Rwampara, le 21 mai 2026 en RDC
Des membres d'une équipe de la Croix-Rouge congolaise transportent le cercueil d'une femme qui serait décédée des suites de la maladie à virus Ebola lors de son enterrement dans les règles de sécurité dans un cimetière de Bunia, en RDC, le 7 juin 2026.
Dieudonné Sezabo, un agent de santé, demande de l'aide pour accueillir une jeune femme soupçonnée d'avoir la maladie Ebola, à l'hôpital de Rwampara, dans le nord-est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) le 26 mai 2026

Overview

  • The outbreak was declared on May 15 and Africa CDC now reports about 875 confirmed cases and 202 deaths in the DRC with 19 cases and two deaths in Uganda.
  • Health authorities have identified the virus as the Bundibugyo strain, for which existing Ebola vaccines for the Zaïre strain do not protect.
  • International groups have moved to fast-track candidates including an rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine, ChAdOx1 and mRNA vaccines, and treatments such as remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies with early human trials expected in the coming months.
  • Response teams say insecurity, poor roads and weak contact tracing in Ituri province are blocking access to sick people and likely causing official counts to understate the true scale of the outbreak.
  • The World Health Organization has issued an international alert and some countries have imposed travel or visa measures, raising the risk of sustained regional spread and putting a premium on both rapid trials and improved field access.