DRC Ebola Cases Top 2,100 in 2 Months as WHO Says 80% Evade Contact Tracing
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 16
DRC Ebola Cases Top 2,100 in 2 Months as WHO Says 80% Evade Contact Tracing
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 16
Summary
2,124 confirmed Ebola cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Thursday, with WHO saying the outbreak has expanded faster in the past month than any previous one.
Over 80% of new infections are being found outside known contact lists, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, indicating missed transmission chains that are accelerating spread.
51 new cases were detected on Wednesday in Ituri and North Kivu, and the outbreak—declared on May 15—has now spread to five DRC provinces and neighboring Uganda.
Bunia health workers began a strike and blocked a general hospital entrance, saying they have not been paid since the outbreak began despite working in dangerous conditions.
Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on Thursday and started a 42-day countdown to Ebola-free status after reporting no new case since June 22.
As Uganda defeats Ebola, why is the DRC's outbreak spiraling out of control just across the border?
With no vaccine and conflict blocking responders, is the DRC's fastest-ever Ebola outbreak now unstoppable?
2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: Unprecedented Spread, Hidden Cases, and the Race to Contain a Regional Crisis
Overview
The 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, officially declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15, has rapidly escalated with some of the highest daily infection numbers ever recorded. As of June 17, there were 896 confirmed cases and 232 deaths in the DRC, showing a worrying trend of sustained transmission. The World Health Organization warns that the real scale of the outbreak could be two to four times higher than reported, meaning many cases are going undetected. This hidden spread makes it much harder to control the outbreak and protect communities across the region.