Ambulances are parked outside a hospital in Bunia, Congo, on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Constantly same Bagalwa/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Constantly same Bagalwa/AP
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are concerned about an Ebola outbreak in the country’s Ituri province.
There are already hundreds of suspected cases, including one that crossed the border into Uganda. There is no vaccine for the latest strain of the virus, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The DRC first confirmed the outbreak on Friday, According to the World Health Organization. Ebola is spread through blood and other bodily fluids as well as contaminated surfaces. According to WHO, symptoms include fever, body aches, weakness, vomiting “and, in some cases, bleeding.”
Health officials believe the outbreak began in late April, Dr. Jean Kassia, Africa CDC director general, said during a Saturday press conference held by video call. There are now 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths, he said.
The cases so far have mostly been found in two mining towns, called Mongwalu and Ravampara, where many people commute for work. “We are talking about an area that is a very sensitive and delicate area,” Kasia said.
On May 14, a 59-year-old Congolese man died of the virus in Kampala, the capital of neighboring Uganda.
In his remarks on Saturday, Kasia outlined how many people the man had been in contact with before his death, and the importance of using protective equipment.
“Someone came from DRC, reached Uganda, went to the hospital,” he said. “He was sick in this community and he was surrounded by many people. He took public transportation to Uganda.” The man died in hospital but his body was taken across the border back to the DRC for burial, Kasia said.
Given its high infectiousness, infectious disease experts recommend that health care workers dealing with Ebola patients wear head coverings as well as goggles, masks or faceshields, gloves, gowns, and even rubber boots.
Kasia said he did not know what type of protective gear people who came in contact with the person used to avoid contracting the virus. “We don’t have manufacturing for PPE,” he said. He said his team has told him the money is needed and they are working on solving the problem.
Officials said it is not yet clear how fast the virus is spreading. This strain of the virus, called Bundibugyo, has caused two previous outbreaks, but because it is less common than the Zaire strain of Ebola, it is less well understood and has no known vaccine.
However, researchers say there is now a candidate for an experimental vaccine that they are continuing to study. “We know it was only tested on a few monkeys,” Kasia said, adding that so far it has seen an efficacy rate of about 50%, but its efficacy in human patients has not yet been assessed.
one in Statement posted on its websiteThe African CDC said it is working with various health organizations, nonprofits, and pharmaceutical companies “to strengthen cross-border surveillance, preparedness, and outbreak response efforts.”
Dr. Craig Spencer, Professor at Brown University of Public Health who became infected with the Zaire strain of the virus in 2014 while working with Doctors Without Borders, Wrote on social media platform The outbreak is already large, even though health officials have only recently recognized it. “That means we’re learning about this outbreak long after it’s already spread. That makes it harder to trace contacts and all cases.”
Between 2014 and 2016, 28,600 people were infected and 11,325 died during the largest Ebola outbreak in history. According to the World Health Organization. It began in the West African country of Guinea and then spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia and several other countries outside the region.
<a href