MSF Warns DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Tops 1,000 Suspected Cases in 2 Weeks
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 31
MSF Warns DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Tops 1,000 Suspected Cases in 2 Weeks
11 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 31
More than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and at least 246 deaths have been recorded in DR Congo just two weeks after the outbreak was declared, prompting MSF to call the spread “deeply alarming.”
MSF said the response has not kept pace with the epidemic, with new suspected cases reported daily while hundreds of samples remain untested and aid deliveries slowed by border and airport closures.
Ituri province remains the center of the outbreak, where WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia to review containment efforts and urge communities to avoid funeral practices that can spread the virus.
A lab in Bunia can now return test results within 24 hours instead of sending samples 1,500 km to Kinshasa, but conflict in eastern Congo is still hampering the response.
Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, while Brazil is investigating a suspected imported case; the Bundibugyo strain has no proven vaccine and kills about a third of patients.
Lacking a vaccine, can ancient funeral rites be adapted in time to stop this rare Ebola strain?
With health workers under attack, is violent conflict a greater threat than the Ebola virus itself in the Congo?
2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Crisis: 900+ Suspected Cases, No Approved Vaccine, and Regional Spread Threat
Overview
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak escalated rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, leading the World Health Organization to declare it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May 2026. Driven by the Bundibugyo virus strain, the crisis is especially severe because there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment available. As a result, countries must rely on other control measures to save lives and stop the spread. This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC, highlighting a recurring public health vulnerability and the urgent need for stronger preparedness and response strategies.