Congo Says Confirmed Ebola Cases Rise to 1,155 as Outbreak Becomes Second-Largest on Record
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has increased to 1,155, including 304 deaths, government data showed on Thursday, June 25. The number represented the total of confirmed cases as of Wednesday, according to a situation report that documented 37 new cases and five new deaths in the previous 24 hours. Fox NewsFox News
Health officials said in the report that intensified epidemiological and biological surveillance had enabled earlier detection of cases, confirming continued growth in community transmission on a week-on-week basis. Fox News
A Record-Setting Pace of Spread
As of June 22, DRC had confirmed more than 1,000 cases, making this Ebola outbreak the second-largest on record. This is the 17th outbreak of Ebola in DRC; the number of cases has risen faster for this outbreak than any other Ebola outbreak to date. northeastern
The outbreak’s trajectory illustrates how rapidly the case count has accelerated in recent weeks. As of May 16, 2026, a total of 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths had been reported. By June 17, that figure had risen to 896 confirmed cases including 232 deaths, a case fatality ratio of 26 percent, with health officials noting that the reported rate was likely an underestimation since many deaths that occurred before the outbreak’s formal declaration remained under investigation. Geo NewsGMA News Online
Where the Outbreak Is Concentrated
Cases have been reported from 33 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. The outbreak remains heavily concentrated in Ituri Province, which has accounted for the large majority of confirmed cases. As of the most recent European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control update, Ituri remained the most affected province with over 1,000 confirmed cases from 22 health zones, while North Kivu had reported around 95 confirmed cases from 11 health zones, and South Kivu just three cases from one health zone. GMA News OnlineDeccan Herald
The Virus Behind the Outbreak
Laboratory analysis conducted by the National Institute of Biomedical Research confirmed the cause of the outbreak as Bundibugyo virus infection, identified in samples collected from suspected cases associated with clusters of severe illness and death in the Mongbwalu and Rwampara health zones in Ituri Province. Patients have presented with symptoms including fever, generalised body pain, weakness, vomiting, and in some cases bleeding, with several patients reportedly deteriorating rapidly and dying. Geo NewsGeo News
The virus is estimated to have a fatality rate between 25 percent and 50 percent. There is no approved vaccine or medicine specifically for the Bundibugyo virus. The Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus was first identified in Uganda in 2007 and has historically been associated with somewhat lower case fatality rates than other Ebola virus species, though severe disease and death can still occur. A study involving macaques suggests that the vaccine approved for Zaire ebolavirus, Ervebo, may be partially effective against the Bundibugyo virus, though the World Health Organization has judged this evidence insufficient and has not recommended its routine use against this outbreak. Bangkok Post + 2
Conflict Complicates the Response
Initial containment efforts took place in a highly unstable part of eastern DR Congo, where conflict involving armed groups such as the ADF, CODECO, and Rwanda-backed M23 had long restricted humanitarian access. The outbreak is occurring in areas affected by insecurity, population displacement, mining-related population movement, and frequent cross-border travel, all of which may increase the risk of further transmission. Bangkok PostGeo News
International Spread and Response
On 24 June, France confirmed its first case after a doctor who had been in the DRC on a humanitarian mission returned home. Germany received one medically evacuated case in an American doctor flown in from the DRC. On May 17, the World Health Organization determined the outbreak to constitute a public health emergency of international concern. CDC has issued Travel Health Notices for DRC and Uganda due to the Ebola outbreaks and recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu provinces in DRC, though no Ebola cases associated with this outbreak have been reported in the United States, and the risk to the American public and travelers remains low. Bangkok Post + 2
Uganda closed its borders with DRC for at least four weeks after reporting seven cases and a death, requiring anyone entering Uganda from DRC to be isolated for 21 days. CDC is working through its country offices and partners in DRC and Uganda to provide technical assistance with the disease response. Bangkok PostGeo News
Regional and Global Impact
The outbreak’s rapid escalation poses significant challenges for regional public health systems already strained by ongoing armed conflict in eastern DRC, where humanitarian access has long been restricted by fighting involving multiple armed groups. The confirmed transmission of the virus into France and Germany via medical evacuation and returning healthcare workers underscores the international dimension of the crisis, even as the overwhelming majority of cases and deaths remain concentrated within DRC’s borders. The WHO’s declaration of a public health emergency of international concern has mobilised a continental and global response effort, though the absence of a specifically approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus strain leaves health authorities reliant on supportive care, contact tracing, and infection prevention measures rather than a targeted immunisation campaign.
For neighbouring countries, including Uganda, the outbreak has already prompted significant precautionary measures, including border closures and mandatory isolation periods for travellers from DRC, reflecting the elevated risk perceived by regional governments given the outbreak’s unusually rapid case growth compared with previous Ebola epidemics in the region.
Background
The Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Ituri Province on May 15, 2026, marking the country’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976. The previous Ebola outbreak in DRC ended in December 2025, meaning the current outbreak began only five months later. Early infections have been theorised to have occurred as early as January or February 2026 in the town of Mongbwalu, with investigators believing the funeral of a pastor on February 4 served as one of the initial transmission events, after the corpse was handled by family members and the coffin was broken during burial rites. There have been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo virus specifically: one in Uganda’s Bundibugyo District in 2007 and 2008, from which the virus strain takes its name, and another in Isiro, DRC, in 2012. Bangkok Post + 2
What Happens Next
DRC health authorities are expected to continue releasing updated situation reports tracking new confirmed cases and deaths, with officials attributing recent case growth partly to intensified surveillance enabling earlier detection rather than solely to accelerating transmission. The WHO and international partners, including the CDC and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, are expected to continue scaling up support for surveillance, contact tracing, and clinical management in DRC and Uganda. Uganda’s border restrictions and isolation requirements for travellers from DRC are expected to remain in place as regional authorities continue monitoring the outbreak’s trajectory, which health officials have already characterised as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in DRC’s history.
