Africa CDC Reports 544 Ebola Cases and 88 Deaths in DRC as WHO Chief Visits Uganda
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Jun 9
Africa CDC Reports 544 Ebola Cases and 88 Deaths in DRC as WHO Chief Visits Uganda
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Jun 9
Summary
Africa CDC said the DRC-centered Ebola outbreak has reached 544 lab-confirmed cases and 88 deaths, with 515 infections recorded in Ituri province, the epicenter in eastern Congo.
Those confirmed totals likely understate the real caseload because testing is difficult in the remote, conflict-hit region, where the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain that has no recognized vaccine.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Uganda on Monday and said the country had contained cross-border spread relatively well, reporting 19 confirmed cases there, including 14 arrivals from DRC and two deaths.
Tedros urged Uganda to reconsider its late-May border closure, saying blanket travel restrictions do not work, while WHO and Africa CDC are backing the response with a $518 million six-month plan.
The outbreak is the DRC's 17th since 1976, but the confirmed fatality rate remains below 20% so far—well under the 50%-plus levels often seen in past Ebola epidemics.
As nations impose travel bans against WHO advice, could these restrictions be making the Ebola outbreak even worse?
Why are deadly protests erupting in Kenya over a US plan to build an Ebola quarantine facility on their soil?
An American doctor survived an Ebola strain with no vaccine. Can his treatment be replicated to stop the Congo outbreak?
2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Crisis: Cross-Border Threats, Humanitarian Strain, and the Race for Effective Response
Overview
As of June 2026, the Ebola outbreak remains a major threat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with a very high risk of spread nationally and high risk regionally, though global risk is still low thanks to effective international containment. The situation is putting immediate strain on humanitarian resources, especially in Uganda, where reception centers are over capacity due to ongoing population movements. This highlights the urgent need for strong containment and support measures within the DRC and neighboring countries to manage both the health crisis and its humanitarian impact.