Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Ebola Cases in Congo Top 6,000 as Outbreak Remains Uncontrolled

The surge is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain with no approved vaccine or treatment and response efforts are hampered by violence and displacement.

Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross, wearing personal protective equipment, bury the body of an Ebola virus disease victim in a cemetery near Rwampara, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 8, 2026, after placing it in a body bag and transporting it in a dedicated vehicle as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. The head of the World Health Organization visited Uganda on Monday and praised its efforts to limit the spread of an Ebola outbreak from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak which has caused 515 confirmed infections in the DRC, including 91 deaths, since it was announced on May 15 in northeastern DRC. Uganda has recorded 19 cases and two deaths. All but five have been Congolese nationals who crossed the border. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
Image
Displaced people watch a health worker in full personal protective equipment (PPE) preparing to disinfect the area during the burial of suspected Ebola victims at the Kigonze displaced persons camp in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo
Image

Overview

  • Authorities report 6,041 confirmed Ebola infections and 2,911 deaths, making this the largest recorded outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Response teams are operating across six provinces with the greatest focus on Ituri, North Kivu and Haut‑Uele where most cases are concentrated.
  • The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain for which no licensed vaccines or therapies exist, so health agencies are using experimental treatments and limited emergency vaccination under research protocols.
  • Containment is being undermined by armed attacks on response teams, mass displacement, and strikes or disruptions among health workers, which have left many cases untraced and treated outside official surveillance.
  • Officials warn the outbreak could spread regionally and say licensed, strain‑specific tools and definitive trial results will take months while a major funding gap threatens the scale of the response.