Ambulances are parked outside a hospital in Bunia, Congo, Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Constant Same Bagalwa/AP
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Constant Same Bagalwa/AP
In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, health officials are worried about a new Ebola outbreak.
Hundreds of suspected cases have emerged, with one even crossing into Uganda. This strain of Ebola currently lacks a vaccine, as reported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The outbreak was confirmed by the DRC on Friday, according to the World Health Organization. The virus spreads through blood, bodily fluids, and contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include fever, body pain, weakness, vomiting, and sometimes bleeding, the WHO states.
According to Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, the outbreak likely began in late April. During a Saturday press conference via video call, he mentioned there are 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths.
The majority of cases have been identified in two mining towns, Mongwalu and Rwampara, which experience high worker traffic. “We are talking about a region that is a very vulnerable and fragile region,” Kaseya noted.
On May 14, a 59-year-old Congolese man succumbed to the virus in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
During his Saturday remarks, Kaseya detailed the potential contacts the man had before his death and emphasized the need for protective measures.
“Someone came from DRC, landed in Uganda, went to hospital,” he explained. “He was sick in this community and he was surrounded by a number of people. He took public transportation to Uganda.” The man died in the hospital, but his body was then transported back across the border to the DRC for burial, Kaseya stated.
Experts recommend that healthcare workers treating Ebola patients use head coverings, goggles, masks or face shields, gloves, gowns, and rubber boots due to the virus’s high transmissibility.
Kaseya mentioned uncertainty regarding the protective gear used by those who contacted the man. “We don’t have manufacturing for PPE,” he said, highlighting the need for funding and efforts to address the issue.
Officials have yet to determine the virus’s spread rate. The Bundibugyo strain, less common than the Zaire strain, has had two previous outbreaks but remains poorly understood, with no known vaccine.
Researchers are investigating a potential experimental vaccine, which has shown about 50% efficacy in monkey tests, according to Kaseya. Its effectiveness in humans remains untested.
In a statement on its website, the African CDC announced collaborations with health organizations, nonprofits, and pharmaceutical companies to bolster cross-border surveillance, preparedness, and outbreak response.
Dr. Craig Spencer, a professor at the Brown University of Public Health who contracted the Zaire strain in 2014, stated on the social media platform X that the outbreak is already significant, despite being recently identified by health officials. “This means we’re just learning about this outbreak long after its [sic] already been spreading. This makes it harder to find contacts and all the cases,” he wrote.
The largest Ebola outbreak in history occurred between 2014 and 2016, infecting 28,600 people and claiming 11,325 lives, according to the World Health Organization. It began in Guinea and spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and several other nations beyond the region.
