Three Red Cross Volunteers Die in DR Congo Ebola Outbreak as WHO Raises Risk to Very High
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 23
Three Red Cross Volunteers Die in DR Congo Ebola Outbreak as WHO Raises Risk to Very High
15 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 23
Three Red Cross volunteers died of suspected Ebola after handling bodies in Ituri on March 27, before the outbreak was identified; they died between May 5 and May 16 and are believed to be among the first fatalities.
More than 170 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases have been recorded in DR Congo, with Mongbwalu now seen as the outbreak's epicentre.
WHO on Friday raised DR Congo's public health risk to "very high," saying the wider African regional risk is high but the global risk remains low.
Bundibugyo Ebola— a rarer strain with no proven vaccine and roughly a one-third fatality rate— has also reached Uganda, which reported three new cases Saturday for a total of five.
Response efforts are being strained by fear and insecurity: an MSF treatment tent in Mongbwalu was burned, a hospital in Ituri was attacked over burial restrictions, and some affected eastern areas are under M23 control.
With vaccine-resistant Ebola in Uganda, which of the 10 at-risk nations is next?
Amidst rebel violence, can a rare Ebola strain with no vaccine be contained?
Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak 2026: Over 130 Deaths, Cross-Border Spread, and the Urgent Need for Targeted Vaccines in DRC and Uganda
Overview
A rapidly unfolding public health emergency is affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda due to an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola. The crisis began with a fatality in Bunia, DRC, on April 24, 2026, and quickly escalated when mourners at a funeral in Mongbwalu came into contact with the victim, leading to further spread. The Africa CDC announced the outbreak on May 20, 2026, and soon after, Uganda confirmed its first case, showing how quickly the disease crossed borders. This situation highlights the urgent need for safe burial practices and effective risk communication to contain the outbreak.