East Africa Ebola Outbreak Tops 800 Cases as Africa CDC Warns It Could Become Worst on Record
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 16
East Africa Ebola Outbreak Tops 800 Cases as Africa CDC Warns It Could Become Worst on Record
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 16
Summary
More than 800 confirmed Ebola cases and nearly 200 deaths have pushed the East Africa outbreak into the ranks of the largest on record, with Africa CDC warning it could keep spreading for up to a year.
Jean Kaseya said unabated transmission, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, could drive infections into the thousands if the outbreak is not stopped soon.
Distrust of authorities and violence in eastern Congo are hampering health workers’ access to communities, leaving responders, in one official’s words, “running after the disease.”
The warning invokes the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, the deadliest Ebola outbreak recorded, which killed more than 11,000 people.
As untraced Ebola cases surge, is the global health response fast enough to avert disaster?
With no licensed vaccine for this Ebola strain, can contact tracing alone stop a catastrophic outbreak?
Over 500 Bundibugyo Ebola Cases in DRC: Escalating Crisis Amid Funding Shortfalls and Global Health Gaps
Overview
The Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak is rapidly escalating in June 2026, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reporting 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths, and Uganda also affected by 19 cases. The alarming rise in case numbers and the spread across borders highlight a growing regional crisis. The World Health Organization is intensifying diagnostic testing and contact surveillance to track and contain the virus, but the situation remains urgent. Cross-border transmission is a major concern, making coordinated international response and robust surveillance essential to control the outbreak and prevent further spread.