… The WHO said there were now eight laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus, with other suspected cases and deaths across three health zones including Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara. …
… The first known patient developed fever, vomiting and hemorrhaging and died at a medical centre in Bunia, Ituri’s capital, on April 24, Samuel Roger Kamba, Congo’s health minister, told reporters on Saturday. …
… The WHO said there are now eight laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus, with other suspected cases and deaths across three health zones including Bunia the capital of Ituri province, and the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara. …
… g to Ebola outbreaks,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi. “WHO is rapidly scaling up support to the ongoing response.” WHO said it is airlifting five metric tonnes of emergency supplies, including protective equipment, laboratory materials and treatment support items, from Kinshasa to Bunia …
… Regional Hotspots and Urban Risks While the epicentre remains in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, the detection of suspected cases in Bunia represents a critical shift in the risk profile. …
Ebola response workers in eastern Congo staged protests this week demanding payment of salaries and allowances nearly three months overdue, as security incidents continue to disrupt containment efforts. Health workers gathered outside treatment centres in Ituri province calling for immediate payment, with police dispersing demonstrators in Mongbwalu.
Ebola response workers in eastern Congo staged protests this week demanding payment of salaries and allowances nearly three months overdue, as security incidents continue to disrupt containment efforts. Health workers gathered outside treatment centres in Ituri province calling for immediate payment, with police dispersing demonstrators in Mongbwalu.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak has risen to 3,532 cases and 1,556 deaths, making it the world's second-largest on record, outpaced only by the 2014–2016 West African outbreak. The Bundibugyo strain has spread faster than any previous Ebola epidemic, killing five times as many people in the same timeframe, while insecurity and resource constraints hamper containment efforts.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned at an African Union health summit in Accra that Africa risks losing decades of progress against diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria unless governments increase domestic health financing. He noted that while Africa has recorded significant gains—including a 40% reduction in new HIV infections since 2010—declining external support threatens those achievements across multiple health areas.
At the African Union's first Extraordinary Summit on health in Accra, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that declining international funding threatens Africa's progress against HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases, urging African leaders to prioritise health sovereignty and increase domestic investment in healthcare systems.
A United States citizen employed by Samaritan's Purse in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, making this the second American to contract the virus during the current outbreak. The patient, who was assisting with logistics in Bunia and not involved in direct patient care, has been in isolation since Monday at an Ebola treatment centre.
Ebola response workers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo staged protests outside treatment centres on Thursday, citing non-payment or partial payment for their work. The outbreak has infected 1,759 people and caused 600 confirmed deaths since being declared nearly two months ago, according to government data.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 1,561 cases and 506 deaths in an outbreak of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which a WHO official said is still in its expansion phase. Population movement, including workers from the mining town of Mongbwalu travelling to new regions, is fuelling transmission despite treatment centres operating near capacity and ongoing shortages of protective equipment for healthcare workers.
Congo's Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has the largest number of confirmed cases within the first month of any outbreak on record, according to WHO. The surge is attributed to rapid spread to urban areas like Bunia and Mongbwalu, though the virus had been circulating for months before official detection on May 15.
Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale has been found guilty of contempt of court for ignoring a High Court order to halt construction of a US-funded 50-bed Ebola quarantine facility at a military base in Nanyuki. The project has sparked protests in the town, during which three people died as police attempted to disperse demonstrators.
Kenya's Health Minister Aden Duale has been found guilty of contempt of court for ignoring a High Court order halting construction of a 50-bed US-funded Ebola quarantine centre at a military base in Nanyuki. The facility, intended for US citizens suspected of contracting Ebola, has sparked protests in which three people died.
Kenyan police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Nanyuki opposing the construction of a US Ebola quarantine centre for American citizens. The proposed 50-bed facility, intended to treat Americans affected by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has triggered public concern over cross-border infection risks and government transparency; a High Court has ordered the facility's opening be halted pending a rights group's case.
The Democratic Republic of Congo reported 101 confirmed Ebola deaths and 550 confirmed cases as of Monday, with the Bundibugyo strain outbreak unfolding across three conflict-affected provinces; armed groups are hindering the response and impeding humanitarian access, with reports of attacks on burial teams and treatment centres.
Residents attacked an Ebola burial team in Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province on Monday, forcing responders to abandon a coffin; the body was subsequently handled by community members, raising transmission risks. Burial teams and health workers have faced repeated attacks fueled by mistrust and resistance to response efforts.
Médecins Sans Frontières warns that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "deeply alarming," with MSF deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales stating that never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after declaration. The outbreak has produced over 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 deaths in DR Congo, with Uganda reporting nine confirmed cases and one death.
Three Red Cross volunteers died in the Democratic Republic of Congo from suspected Ebola likely caught while managing dead bodies while working in the eastern Ituri region. The outbreak, involving the Bundibugyo species of Ebola with no proven vaccine, has resulted in more than 170 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases, prompting the WHO to raise the public health risk to "very high."
The World Health Organization has raised the public health risk from the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo from "high" to "very high," while the wider African region faces a "high" risk and the global risk remains "low." The rare Bundibugyo species, with no proven vaccine and a fatality rate of about a third, has resulted in 177 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases so far.
An angry crowd set fire to isolation ward tents at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province after being prevented from collecting the body of a young man thought to have died from Ebola. Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, and a healthcare worker was injured by stone-throwing protesters.
Police in northeastern Congo fired warning shots and tear gas during a dispute over the safe burial of a suspected Ebola victim, a local footballer. The incident, which saw protesters burn down tents for Ebola patients, highlights challenges authorities face enforcing safe burials required to contain the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain.
The WHO states it could take up to nine months before a vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola is ready, as two candidate vaccines are still in development and have not entered clinical trials. With 51 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two in Uganda, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern but said the risk at the global level is low.
The WHO says a vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola could take up to nine months to develop, as two candidate vaccines are still undergoing development and have not entered clinical trials. There have been 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, with 51 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two in Uganda, though the WHO assessed the risk as high at national and regional levels but low globally.
The WHO Director-General has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda, citing 51 confirmed cases and 139 suspected deaths, with nearly 600 suspected infections under investigation. The organisation warns the epidemic poses a serious regional threat and expects case numbers to continue rising.
Fear has gripped Ebola-hit areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as the suspected number of deaths continues to rise, with officials acknowledging they are playing catch-up with an outbreak that may have been spreading undetected before it was first confirmed on 24 April. As of Tuesday, there were 514 suspected cases with 136 believed dead, with cases also reported in Uganda and other DRC provinces.
The World Health Organisation has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province a public health emergency of international concern. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus with 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported, has spread to Uganda with two confirmed cases and poses risk of broader regional spread.
Diagnostic tests calibrated for the wrong Ebola strain, improper sample storage and shipping, and local funeral practices allowed the virus to spread undetected into rebel-held territory and Uganda before health officials confirmed new infections in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, with 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, and 246 suspected cases reported so far.
The World Health Organization has declared an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo's Ituri province a public health emergency of international concern, with around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines, and has spread to Uganda with two confirmed cases.
Africa's health agency has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province, with around 246 cases and 80 deaths reported mainly in gold-mining towns. Uganda confirmed one imported case, with a 59-year-old male who died testing positive.
The World Health Organisation has increased emergency support to the Democratic Republic of the Congo following confirmation of an Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in Ituri Province, where at least 67 suspected community deaths have been recorded and tests confirmed the virus in 13 of 20 samples collected from suspected cases.
The Africa CDC confirmed 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases in Ituri province, marking the 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976. The detection of suspected cases in Bunia, a provincial capital near the Ugandan border, raises concerns that the urban setting and transit hub status could enable rapid regional spread amid ongoing armed conflict.
Africa's top health agency has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province, with around 246 cases and 65 deaths reported mainly in gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara. This is the 17th outbreak of the deadly viral disease in the country.