Congo Buries 6-Month-Old Ebola Victim as Outbreak Reaches 894 Cases
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 19
Congo Buries 6-Month-Old Ebola Victim as Outbreak Reaches 894 Cases
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jun 19
Summary
A 6-month-old girl was buried Friday in Bunia after dying of Ebola, the third child to die at an orphanage in eastern Congo's latest outbreak.
Ituri accounts for more than 90% of cases, but containment has been hampered by clashes over disrupted burials, a sometimes militarized response and shortages of protective gear even for health workers.
Bundibugyo Ebola has no approved treatment or vaccine, and delayed testing for the strain helped the outbreak spread further, unlike Congo's past outbreaks that were mostly caused by the vaccine-covered Zaire virus.
Africa CDC said the outbreak has reached 894 confirmed cases and more than 200 deaths, with 35,000 suspected contacts; cases have also spread to Uganda, which has reported 19 infections and two deaths.
How did a single sick newborn turn a Congolese orphanage into a tragic Ebola hotspot?
With no approved vaccine, can the world stop this rare Ebola strain from spreading beyond a volatile war zone?
Why are communities attacking health workers sent to fight Congo's deadly and untreatable Ebola outbreak?
Ebola Returns: 837 Cases and 196 Deaths in DRC’s 2026 Bundibugyo Outbreak
Overview
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak on May 15, 2026, which has quickly escalated, resulting in 837 confirmed cases and 196 deaths by mid-June. With a case fatality rate of 23.4 percent, the outbreak places a heavy burden on healthcare facilities, as hundreds remain in isolation and only a small number have recovered. The situation is worsening due to sustained community transmission and ongoing geographic spread, especially in conflict-affected areas. These challenges highlight the urgent need for strong public health measures and international support to contain the crisis.