Health workers interact at the Evangelical Medical Center, in Bunia, eastern Congo, Friday, July 3, 2026, where Ebola clinical trials are scheduled to take place.
Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne/AP
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Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne/AP
KINSHASA, Congo — The government announced on Thursday that new suspected Ebola cases have emerged in previously unaffected areas of Congo, with the death toll from the latest outbreak climbing to 600.
The Congolese health ministry reports that suspected cases have now been identified in the provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uele, indicating the disease’s spread beyond its initial center in Ituri.
According to a government report released late Wednesday, two new cases are suspected in Kisangani, located in Tshopo province. Details on the number of cases in Haut-Uele were not provided. The nation now has 1,759 confirmed cases.
The report indicates one suspected case in Tshopo is connected to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases emerged. The other case has no known geographical link to existing outbreaks, prompting further investigation.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control stated on Thursday that this is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak observed on the continent.
On May 15, Congolese authorities declared a new Ebola outbreak, after the disease spread undetected for weeks, as stated by the World Health Organization. This outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus, which lacks an approved vaccine or treatment.
Last week, clinical trials for potential treatments were initiated following the launch of a much-anticipated study aimed at combating the virus.
Efforts to control the virus face challenges, including a shortage of funding, attacks on health centers, and ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, where the outbreak is concentrated.
