DR Congo Reports 1,307 Ebola Cases and 377 Deaths as Outbreak Reaches 4th Province
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 30
DR Congo Reports 1,307 Ebola Cases and 377 Deaths as Outbreak Reaches 4th Province
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 30
Summary
1,307 confirmed Ebola cases and 377 deaths have now been recorded in DR Congo, with a new case detected in Haut-Uele after an infected person traveled from Bunia in Ituri.
That patient has died, and authorities are tracing contacts as the spread to Haut-Uele extends the outbreak across the country’s northeast, a region of about 15 million people.
Ituri remains the epicenter of the 17th outbreak, which began in May, with funerals driving transmission as mourners handle highly infectious bodies.
Aid workers say mistrust, repeated attacks on treatment centers and shortages of protective gear, medicines, rapid test kits and body bags are hampering containment.
A ban on public gatherings in four provinces, including Kinshasa, is now part of the response, though opposition figures say the measure is politically motivated ahead of a planned July 8 protest.
Can new experimental drugs stop a deadly Ebola strain that has no vaccine and is spreading through a conflict zone?
Why did a US plan for an Ebola quarantine base in Kenya ignite fierce local opposition and a court battle?
Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak in DRC Surges to 1,274 Cases: Unprecedented Spread, No Vaccine, and Regional Threats in 2026
Overview
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is escalating rapidly, with over 1,200 cases and 250 deaths reported in just 37 days—an unprecedented pace compared to previous outbreaks. This crisis is especially severe because the Bundibugyo virus has no licensed treatments or vaccines, making containment much harder. The outbreak has spread quickly across provinces, and efforts to control it are challenged by limited contact tracing and strong community mistrust. These factors, combined with the lack of medical countermeasures, highlight the urgent need for improved response strategies and accelerated research to manage this growing health emergency.