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8h ago

Ebola Outbreak in Eastern DRC Grows to Nearly 500 Cases and Crosses Into Uganda

WHO has declared a public health emergency as agencies race to scale testing, launch trials and raise funds to stop spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain.

Health workers wearing protective equipment stand during safe burial procedures outside a family home in the community of Mongbwaluon May 24, 2026 in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
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A health worker disinfects an ambulance at the Mongbwalu treatment center that transported a suspected Ebola patient in Mongbwalu, Congo, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Overview

  • Reports on Saturday showed the outbreak has expanded to roughly 488 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and about 19 confirmed cases in Uganda with dozens of deaths.
  • Health authorities have rapidly expanded laboratory capacity from about 40 to roughly 800 tests per day, cutting turnaround to 24–48 hours to speed case confirmation.
  • Contact tracing and follow-up remain far below targets, with DRC reporting about 57.8 percent of listed contacts seen, and security threats and community mistrust are blocking safe burials and isolation.
  • There is no licensed vaccine or proven strain-specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola, so WHO and Africa CDC have fast-tracked candidate vaccines and therapeutics while launching a US$518 million six-month response plan.
  • A high-profile recovery — a U.S. doctor evacuated to Charité hospital in Berlin was discharged on June 6 — highlights treatment disparities and underscores warnings from CDC modelers that the outbreak could become much larger without massive surge support.