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Ebola Outbreak in Eastern DRC Surges as Bundibugyo Strain Spreads to Uganda

Slow detection, infected medics, weak contact tracing, low sanitation funding and testing refusals leave responders racing to catch up.

Red Cross workers prepare to bury Vanisa Anifa, a 6-month-old orphaned girl who died of Ebola, at the Bigo Cemetery, in Bunia, Congo, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Relatives of Vanisa Anifa, a 6-month-old orphaned girl who died of Ebola, attend her burial, in Bunia, Congo, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Red Cross workers prepare to bury Vanisa Anifa, a 6-month-old orphaned girl who died of Ebola, at the Bigo Cemetery, in Bunia, Congo, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A drone view of displaced people from the Kigonze camp attending the burial of Ebola victims at Nyamurongo Cemetery, one month after an outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere

Overview

  • Health agencies report roughly 894–896 confirmed cases and about 232 deaths concentrated in Ituri province with cases also recorded in North Kivu, South Kivu and 19 confirmed cases in Uganda.
  • Officials say the outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus for which there is no approved vaccine or strain‑specific treatment, forcing reliance on experimental candidates and accelerated research.
  • WHO and Africa CDC warn response capacity is overstretched as about 75 healthcare workers have been infected with Ebola and 17 have died, reducing already thin local medical staffing.
  • Contact tracing and surveillance lag badly with Africa CDC estimating up to 35,000 contacts and only a fraction traced, while rising unexplained deaths and testing refusals in camps like Kigonze raise fears of undetected spread.
  • Donors pledged about $910 million but less than $90 million has been released so far and African health leaders are pressing for faster disbursements and greater domestic investment in vaccines and response capacity.