Overview
- WHO reported on Monday, May 25, 2026, that more than 900 suspected Ebola cases have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo with 101 laboratory-confirmed infections and about 220 suspected deaths.
- The outbreak is centered in Ituri province and is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola variant for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment exists, forcing reliance on supportive care and slower PCR diagnosis that lengthens isolation times.
- Violence in Ituri and parts of Kivu, including attacks on treatment centres and incidents of patients fleeing facilities, is driving health workers away and severely disrupting contact tracing, isolation and safe burial operations.
- The epidemic has crossed into Uganda, where authorities reported seven confirmed cases, and Africa CDC has placed ten neighbouring countries under high-risk surveillance as governments and agencies mobilize personnel, funding and supplies.
- Humanitarian teams such as MSF are expanding treatment centres and logistics but face access limits; delays in diagnosis, community distrust and mass displacement mean the outbreak is likely to worsen before it can be brought under control.