DRC reports rising Ebola deaths as outbreak toll reaches 80

Sunday May 17, 2026

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the country is confronting a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province, where the death toll has climbed to at least 80 as authorities step up screening and contact tracing efforts to slow the spread.

A fresh outbreak of Ebola has been reported in eastern DRC, where tens of people have died as a result. / Reuters

Authorities announced the outbreak on Friday, saying 65 people had died and 246 suspected cases had been identified. By Saturday, they said the number of reported deaths had risen to at least 80 as medical teams worked to widen surveillance and trace contacts.

In Bunia, Ituri’s provincial capital, Associated Press reporters spoke with residents who described growing anxiety and repeated funerals.

“In a single day, we bury two, three, or even more people,” said Jean Marc Asimwe, a resident of Bunia. “At this point, we don’t really know what kind of disease it is,” said Asimwe.

Late on Friday, Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said there were eight laboratory-confirmed cases, including four deaths.

Highly contagious

Testing has identified the Bundibugyo virus, a strain that has appeared less often in previous outbreaks in DR Congo. The latest case marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the disease was first detected there in 1976.

Ebola spreads easily through contact with bodily fluids, including vomit, blood and semen. Though uncommon, the illness is severe and often deadly.

Kamba said the suspected index case in the current outbreak was a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia. He said the illness dates to April 24, about three weeks ago.

He did not say whether the nurse’s samples had been tested, but said the patient had shown symptoms consistent with Ebola.

Logistical challenges

DR Congo has dealt with Ebola before, but its vast geography continues to make response efforts difficult, often slowing the delivery of specialists, equipment and supplies to remote areas.

As Africa’s second-largest country by land area, DR Congo stretches across huge distances, and provinces are separated by long travel times. Ituri, for example, lies about 1,000 kilometres from the capital, Kinshasa.

So far, the disease has been confirmed in three health zones in Ituri province, including Bunia, as well as Rwampara and Mongwalu, where the outbreak is centered.

Thirteen blood samples were examined at the National Institute of Biomedical Research, with eight testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain. The other five could not be analyzed because the samples were too small, the health minister said.

In Bunia, business appears to be normal

Despite the outbreak, daily life in Bunia appeared largely unchanged on Friday, with businesses open and public areas operating as usual.

Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she is hoping for a swift and decisive response. “My recommendation is that the government takes charge of the hospitals so that this matter can be brought under control,” she said.

Uganda has also confirmed an Ebola case. That patient died at a hospital in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control ​and Prevention has warned of the risk of wider transmission because the affected areas are close to Uganda and South Sudan.