DRC Reports 72 New Ebola Cases, Pushing 1-Month Outbreak Total to 782
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 15
DRC Reports 72 New Ebola Cases, Pushing 1-Month Outbreak Total to 782
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 15
Summary
Seventy-two new confirmed Ebola cases were recorded on June 13 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the biggest one-day rise of the month-old outbreak, lifting the total to 782.
Twenty-nine more deaths brought the toll to 181, while two new health zones — Nia-Nia in Ituri and Mabalako in North Kivu — pushed the number of affected zones to 31.
Contact tracing is lagging badly: only 56.5% of identified contacts are being followed, well below the 90%-95% level the WHO says is needed to contain the outbreak.
Health officials also cite community hesitancy and shortages of medicines and infection-control supplies, as cases remain concentrated in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu and Uganda has logged 19 linked cases and two deaths.
UN agencies have warned children in eastern DRC could be increasingly affected, while the United States recently pledged $50 million for Bundibugyo-strain vaccine and treatment development and says it has committed over $270 million to the response.
Beyond the death toll, how is this Ebola outbreak pushing millions in Congo deeper into a hunger crisis?
With no approved vaccine for this rare Ebola strain, what is the last line of defense for health workers?
Can a high-tech vaccine stop an Ebola outbreak fueled by deep community mistrust and armed conflict?
Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak 2026: Over 700 Cases, No Approved Vaccine, and Rising Regional Threat
Overview
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a highly urgent public health crisis as of mid-June 2026. Persistent transmission and the continued expansion into new health zones have kept the risk critically high. The outbreak’s geographic spread increases the chance of further national and regional spread. Managing the crisis is made harder by significant discrepancies between official reports and what is seen on the ground, making it difficult to assess the true scale. These factors together highlight the urgent need for stronger surveillance and coordinated response efforts.