Discussion - Ebola outbreaks 2026 (DRC & Uganda)

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Ebola Symptoms in Current Outbreak May Be Milder Than in Previous Ones

That is good news for patients, but officials fear it will make controlling the spread of the disease harder.

By Apoorva Mandavilli
June 23, 2026, 11:31 a.m. ET
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There is too little data yet to be certain, but an assessment by the ministry of health in Congo suggests that about 90 percent of patients do not seem to develop the extensive internal and external bleeding that can arise in the disease’s horrific end stages, according to Dr. Marie-Roseline Belizaire, who leads the World Health Organization’s response to the outbreak. Some early data also suggests that fewer people may be dying this time compared with previous outbreaks.

Milder symptoms, and perhaps a lower chance of death, are undoubtedly good news for the patients. But they could paradoxically make it harder to control spread and end the outbreak.

“That’s really what I’m a bit anxious about, that this might be an indicator for an outbreak that lasts a lot longer,” said Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the executive director of the W.H.O. Health Emergencies Program.
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In the case of Zaire Ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people in a 2014 outbreak in West Africa, about half of people developed the dramatic bleeding symptoms. If only about 10 percent of patients with Bundibugyo reach that stage, many who become ill might continue to interact with others and spread the virus without seeking care.

“It makes total sense to me now how this was missed for months,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, the director of Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Bhadelia and her colleagues have found four unresolved clusters — including one in Burundi and one in South Sudan — of viral hemorrhagic fever that they suggest may be part of the outbreak. If they are, the virus may have spread far more widely and for longer than previously thought.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/health/ebola-symptoms-death-rate.html

See also post #61

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"This epidemic risks being the deadliest in the history of Ebola," warns physician Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The virus is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a fatality rate estimated at 25% by the WHO. Denis Mukwege points to the difficulty of "implementing health security measures" in a country in a state of constant war.

Article written by franceinfo
Radio France
Published 26/06/2026 09:44

"This epidemic risks to be the deadliest in the history of Ebola," warns Friday, June 26 on France Inter the Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. The virus is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) while the eastern part of the country is plagued by repeated wars, "a critical situation," warns the doctor. The gynecologist reports a record number of confirmed Ebola cases in a single month—figures "never recorded in any other crisis."

Denis Mukwege calls for the utmost vigilance and rapid care for the sick to prevent the spread to other sites. According to the latest official figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1,048 cases have been recorded, including 267 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of approximately 25%. "It's very clear that while there's a war, it's extremely difficult to implement health security measures ," emphasizes the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Denis Mukwege founded a hospital for women who are victims of sexual violence in the DRC.

"The population no longer believes in anything."

"This is a crisis that goes beyond a health crisis ," warns the specialist. "There are no vaccines, no treatment," and "areas that are inaccessible" in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where doctors cannot go to treat potential patients. "The population no longer believes in anything, after 30 years of suffering ," declares Denis Mukwege.

Since March 2026, an Ebola epidemic caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain has been affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and spreading to Uganda, the Pasteur Institute reports on its website. This disease manifests as a hemorrhagic fever that is very often fatal. Last Wednesday, a doctor tested positive in France upon his return from the Democratic Republic of Congo. "His viral load is very low," according to the Ministry of Health.

https://www.franceinfo.fr/sante/maladie/ebola/cette-epidemie-risque-d-etre-la-plus-meurtriere-de-l-histoire-d-ebola-alerte-le-medecin-denis-mukwege-prix-nobel-de-la-paix-2018_8080649.html

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Articles Online first June 25, 2026

Size of the 2026 Ebola outbreak and risk of cross-border spillover from Bundibugyo virus in Ituri Province, DR Congo, and its implications for preparedness: a recalibrated stochastic modelling study

Dick Chamla, MD^a Send email to chamlad@who.int ∙ Marie Roseline Darnycka Belizaire, MD^b ∙ Isaias Fernandes Co, MPH^a ∙ Arisekola Jinadu, MD^a ∙ Ibrahim Mamadu, MD^a ∙ Ajiri Okpure Atagbaza, MSc^a Affiliations & Notes Article Info
Publication History:
Published June 25, 2026
DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(26)00320-8 External LinkAlso available on ScienceDirect External Link
Copyright: © 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Linked Articles (1)

• Download PDF

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Findings

Laboratory-confirmed DR Congo cases rose from 33 on May 18, 2026, to 598 by June 8, 2026. Calibrated to the confirmed-case anchor (598 on June 8, 2026; central basic reproduction number [R₀]=1·71), the confirmed-case trajectory is most consistent with the central scenario. Under the central scenario the ensemble projected a median of 990 cumulative confirmed cases by week 12 (June 24, 2026; 90% prediction interval [PI] 709–1293) and 174 deaths; the low scenario projected 870 confirmed cases (90% PI 641–1133) and 160 deaths. The early suspected-case count (peak 1077 on 26 May 2026) was substantially revised by laboratory reclassification and is reported for context only. Cross-border spillover remained material: Uganda 94·2% importation probability (19 confirmed cases as of June 4, 2026, including five health-care worker infections and two deaths); South Sudan 69·3%; Rwanda 8·6%; and Burundi 2·0%. As of June 22, 2026, DR Congo has 1048 confirmed cases and 267 confirmed deaths and Uganda has 20 confirmed cases, two confirmed deaths, and one probable death. These numbers are changing daily and are likely to align with what is predicted in the central scenario.
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Figure 2 Weekly incidence projections by transmissibility scenario
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Figure viewer Figure 3 Recalibrated spillover probability to neighbouring countries, 12-week horizon
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https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...320-8/fulltext

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Ebola Outbreak Could Become Largest Ever, Africa’s C.D.C. Warns
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By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Stephanie Nolen
June 25, 2026

Africa’s top health agency offered a grim outlook on the Ebola crisis raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, warning that contact tracing was dangerously behind where it needed to be to end the spread.
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“There is huge, huge community transmission,” he said.

Most of the people testing positive for Ebola in Ituri Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, are not on health workers’ radar, he said.
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Epidemiologists expect a minimum of 20 contacts to be identified for each infected person, but Dr. Kaseya said that in urban areas, 40 contacts is a more realistic number.

And the virus causing the current outbreak, Bundibugyo, is now spreading in camps that are home to about a third of the one million displaced people in the region where conflict has raged for years. In a camp setting, an infected person would likely have 120 contacts, Dr. Kaseya said.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/world/africa/africa-cdc-congo-ebola.html

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2:56 AM · Jul 1, 2026

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Note:
Eve Bazaiba is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88ve_Bazaiba

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#DRC : Up to 1,000 deaths per day feared if Ebola spreads in Ituri displacement camps. Continuing her address to Presidents Félix

Video in French language: https://www.facebook.com/afroinfos24...4366327340933/

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Ituri-Ebola: "Hotels are full, but field teams are suffering," unease grows around the response

Saturday, July 4, 2026 - 9:02 PM

While significant resources have been mobilized to address the 17th Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, deep unease is growing among frontline teams in Ituri. Payment delays, strikes, demotivation of service providers, and community frustrations are fueling concerns about the response's ability to maintain its effectiveness.

For several days, teams responsible for investigations, contact tracing, and other essential activities have slowed or suspended their operations in certain health zones. This situation comes as Ituri remains the epicenter of the epidemic.

"The situation is catastrophic. The 2018 response was not organized in this way. Today, many fear that at the end of this epidemic, the full truth will come out about the use of the resources mobilized. What we are seeing on the ground is that local teams are suffering even though significant funding has been announced," confides, under the condition of anonymity, a civil society observer.

The unease is also palpable among service providers working in treatment centers and health facilities. In recent days, several journalists in Bunia report receiving anonymous messages from individuals claiming to be nurses, hygiene workers, and WASH supervisors assigned to the Elikia Ebola Treatment Center and the Bunia General Referral Hospital.

In these accounts, the authors state that they have been working for nearly two months without pay, despite their daily exposure to the risk of infection. Some even mention a tense atmosphere within certain teams.

"We work every day in extremely difficult conditions, exposed to the virus to protect the population. Yet, since the beginning of the response, we still haven't been paid. We spend our days in the field without transport costs or support. Many colleagues are discouraged and some are already talking about stopping work," says a health worker who requested anonymity.

In Bunia, Komanda, and other Ebola-affected areas, many residents are also questioning the tangible impact of the presence of numerous humanitarian partners. While hotels housing response teams are often full, local communities say they have not seen any improvement in their living conditions, and several service providers report persistent difficulties.

These accounts come at a time when health authorities are calling for increased community support to interrupt the transmission of the virus. Many observers believe it will be difficult to maintain an effective response without better support for frontline teams, on whom a large part of surveillance, investigation, and contact tracing activities depends.

When contacted about these allegations of payment delays and the difficulties mentioned by the service providers, those responsible for coordinating the response and the partners concerned had not yet reacted at the time of publication of this article.

Freddy Upar, in Bunia
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https://actualite.cd/2026/07/04/ituri-ebola-les-hotels-sont-pleins-mais-les-equipes-de-terrain-souffrent-le-malaise

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Related to post #80

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Ebola in Nia-Nia: Two patients found after a fire at an Ebola Treatment Center

July 6, 2026

Bunia, July 6, 2026 (ACP).– The two Ebola patients, evacuated following the fire at the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) of PK51, are now being treated at the Nia-Nia General Referral Hospital (GRH) in Mambasa, Ituri province, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the chief medical officer of the health facility told ACP on Monday.

“ The two confirmed cases who left the burned-down Ebola Treatment Center are already at the Nia-Nia General Referral Hospital. Many other patients are also coming to us from PK51 seeking care at the hospital, which means our capacity is saturated. We are considering, with the support of a partner, building an Ebola Treatment Center within the Nia-Nia General Referral Hospital itself ,” said Dr. Joseph Pemanakue.

He indicated that the situation remains worrying in the Bafwabango area since the fire at the PK51 CTE on June 30th.

“ Many health facilities are no longer functioning because the providers are afraid. Those who continue to work in the referral centers do so clandestinely due to the threats they face. There is practically no staff left in the two health centers of Bafwabango, and several private health facilities are operating at a reduced capacity ,” he explained.

Dr. Pemanakue emphasized that this situation is causing many patients to avoid health facilities, leading to an increase in community deaths. " Even contacts who have already been identified are no longer being monitored."

Community relays are no longer able to provide this follow-up due to fear. These contacts remain within the community, which constitutes a major risk for the response ,” he continued.

Dr. Pemanakue took the opportunity to make a heartfelt appeal to the technical and financial partners of the Congolese government for the construction of a suitable treatment center in his community.

Currently, confirmed cases continue to be treated within the general hospital, an inappropriate setting for this pathology.

ACP/NM/NP (S)

https://acp.cd/province/ebola-a-nia-nia-deux-malades-retrouves-apres-lincendie-dun-cte-pris-en-charge/

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Pregnant women and their babies are particularly vulnerable to the Ebola epidemic in eastern DRC.

By Morgane Le Cam (Mongbwalu [Democratic Republic of Congo], special correspondent) and Philémon Barbier (Photographer)
Published today at 6:00 PM, updated at 6:10 PM

REPORT: Premature births, hemorrhages, and stillbirths: pregnant women are on the front lines of the epidemic. Less than 10% of infected patients survive, according to the United Nations.

Chantal Touabo's abdomen is still round, but her baby is no longer there. "He died in my womb a few days ago, because of Ebola ," she confides, on the steps of the maternity ward at Mongbwalu Hospital, on June 16. The woman in her forties, who was three months pregnant, had to have an abortion that night in the small, dilapidated red-brick building at the back of the hospital courtyard in this town located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since the Ebola epidemic was officially declared by the government on May 15, at least 506 Congolese have died, and 1,561 cases have been confirmed, according to the latest figures compiled by the authorities. This count, dated Saturday, July 4, is a significant underestimate, according to humanitarian workers interviewed by Le Monde in eastern DRC.

Chantal Touabo also nearly succumbed to the virus for which there is still neither a vaccine nor a treatment. But her early hospitalization for two weeks in May stabilized her condition, stopping her fever and bloody diarrhea. Until, back home, she experienced intrauterine bleeding. The fetus's heart had stopped.

Along with premature births, stillbirth is one of the main consequences of Ebola on maternal and child health. "Several babies have died this way in our ward. Three expectant mothers [with Ebola] have also died here ," notes Godelive Dheve Deuani, before entering the maternity ward, a bucket of clean water in hand. This friendly 59-year-old midwife has less work than usual: inside the building, six patients are waiting for treatment. Before Ebola spread, the same ward often saw "around twenty women, sometimes even thirty. Now, it's practically empty. Because of Ebola, few pregnant women come for treatment , " she worries.

The cascade of deaths recorded at the facility at the beginning of the epidemic, which began to spread in late February, according to local authorities in Mongbwalu, when healthcare staff were not equipped to deal with it, kept expectant mothers away from the hospital. As a result, “Pregnant women are postponing their prenatal appointments, bypassing health facilities, or choosing to give birth at home, even when complications arise. (…) The maternal mortality rate in the region most affected by the Ebola epidemic [the eastern province of Ituri] has doubled since May 25 ,” the United Nations warned in a statement published on June 19 , fearing that the virus could trigger “a second, more discreet crisis linked to preventable deaths of mothers and newborns . ”

Medical equipment shortage

Six or seven pregnant women have been dying each week since the start of the epidemic in Ituri, compared to a weekly average of two to three maternal deaths under normal circumstances, Dr. Paulin Mayira Sekele told Le Monde . The head of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health program at the United Nations Population Fund in Bunia, 45 kilometers south of Mongbwalu, emphasized that among expectant mothers, "more vulnerable than other patients, the Ebola recovery rate does not exceed 10% . " According to government data , it is over 67% for the rest of the population.

In Mongbwalu, although the health response is being organized and is gaining momentum, pregnant women are still avoiding the general hospital as much as possible. They prefer to go to peripheral health centers, which they perceive as having a better reputation because they have recorded fewer deaths related to the virus. But, in reality, these facilities are less well-equipped to deal with the epidemic. Especially since, as the Red Cross indicated in mid-June, it could last for another year.

At the private Notre-Dame-de-Charité-Maternelle health center, run by nuns, the staff was quickly overwhelmed: 103 women came to give birth there in May, twice the usual number. Some had Ebola. "Dozens refused to be transferred to the hospital ," laments Moïse Luira, his eyes ringed with dark circles. On June 17, the 21-year-old nurse had just finished a night shift that he describes as "complicated, like many others" since the virus appeared. The recent graduate spent part of the night trying to convince the relatives of three pregnant women, suffering from severe vaginal bleeding and likely infected with Ebola, to transfer them to the hospital to save their lives. But, according to him, "they all refused . "

One of the women died after giving birth to a stillborn baby on one of the center's makeshift delivery tables. Exhausted, the healthcare worker says he fears, like his colleagues, that he too will become infected. "We lack protective equipment. Yet we are highly exposed to Ebola because we help women give birth , " he worries. For lack of anything better, the nurse managed to find ten boxes of surgical gloves the day before at one of the markets in Mongbwalu, and about fifteen gowns two weeks earlier.

In the area, the shortage of medical equipment, coupled with the fact that some requests for assistance submitted by health centers to health authorities have gone unanswered, has endangered both healthcare workers and patients. To such an extent that midwives and gynecologists, lacking supplies, have "sometimes refused to perform certain [obstetric] procedures , for fear of becoming infected themselves ," notes Dr. Paulin Mayira Sekele. This has further eroded patients' trust in healthcare facilities.

“We don’t want to linger here ,” emphasizes Joséphine Apio, sitting on one of the beds in the ward for new mothers at the Notre-Dame-de-Charité-Maternelle center, a newborn in her arms. While the 21-year-old Congolese woman had agreed to go to the center three days earlier to give birth to her first child, she shortened her stay for fear of infection. In the same facility, a woman six months pregnant, suspected of having Ebola, had been waiting since the previous day for the ambulance from the general hospital. She was one of the few expectant mothers at the center who had agreed to be transferred that week. But her care remained dependent on the limited capacity of a hospital that was understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the growing number of requests in a timely manner.

...https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/artic...jn0E1Q9wh4sm7J

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Rumors about Ebola are affecting the business of butchers in Bunia

Published on Wed, 08/07/2026 - 19:17 | Modified on Wed, 08/07/2026 - 19:17

Misinformation surrounding the Ebola outbreak is beginning to impact the business of butchers. For several days, messages circulating on social media have been advising against the consumption of beef, leading many residents to avoid butcher shops. Speaking on Radio Okapi on Wednesday, July 7, professionals in the sector expressed their concern about this situation.

Butchers in Bunia are reporting a significant drop in customers. Their association has officially contacted the provincial authorities of the Fisheries and Livestock Division to denounce a disinformation campaign which, they claim, is jeopardizing their businesses.

“ Rumors are circulating on social media claiming that beef contains the Ebola virus. However, our meat comes from slaughterhouses controlled by veterinary services who assess the health of the slaughtered cow ,” lamented butcher Jean Fuastin Unyuti.

Faced with this concern, veterinary authorities assure the public that no scientific evidence establishes a link between the consumption of beef from official channels and the transmission of the Ebola virus.

However, they advise against consuming bushmeat during this epidemic. Veterinarian Olivier Lumago explains:

“Beef, goat, or pork can be consumed safely, provided it comes from a controlled supply chain and is properly cooked. During this Ebola epidemic, we therefore strongly recommend that the population refrain from hunting, handling, or consuming wild animals, i.e., monkeys, bats, primates, or others.”

However, it remains difficult for consumers to identify butchers who sell meat from official slaughterhouses; this maintains doubt among the local population.

https://www.radiookapi.net/2026/07/08/actualite/societe/des-rumeurs-sur-ebola-affectent-lactivite-des-bouchers-bunia

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2:31 PM · Jul 10, 2026

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Video in French language:

7:01 AM · Jul 12, 2026

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Overwhelmed by the Ebola epidemic, 9 health posts in Djugu are closing their doors (traditional chiefs)

Published on Wed, 15/07/2026 - 15:26 | Modified on Wed, 15/07/2026 - 15:26

Ebola virus disease is progressing at an alarming rate in the territory of Djugu (Ituri), causing the closure of nine of the twelve health posts in the Heritage health area, in the Limani group, warn traditional chiefs.

Overwhelmed by a daily influx of patients, local medical facilities in Limani have suspended their activities, prompting traditional authorities to raise the alarm for an emergency deployment of response teams to contain community spread.

On the ground, the speed at which the virus is spreading is now outpacing the capacity of the health response. Patients are flocking daily to the centers that have remained open, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in this part of the province.

Community resistance fuels the virus

According to local traditional leaders, adherence to health protocols is hampered by pockets of denial within the population. In the Djatsi and Pitsi sectors, a significant portion of the community continues to reject the preventive measures issued by health authorities, a direct factor accelerating the chains of infection.

The head of the Walendu Djatsi sector, Justin Gudza Kiza, warns of the unprecedented scale of this crisis:

" The situation is grave and has already resulted in the deaths of more than a hundred people ."

Urgent appeal for medical reinforcements

Faced with this already very heavy provisional toll, which has not yet been confirmed by the health authorities, the saturation of the infrastructure in the Heritage health area leaves thousands of families without access to basic healthcare.

While awaiting a large-scale intervention from the response coordination, opinion leaders and traditional authorities fear a major health catastrophe if additional medical teams and specific supplies are not urgently transported to the Limani group.

https://www.radiookapi.net/2026/07/15/actualite/sante/debordes-par-lepidemie-debola-9-postes-de-sante-de-djugu-ferment-leurs

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Niakunde
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Ebola in DRC: a treatment center targeted in Nyankunde

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, new security incidents are disrupting the response to the Ebola epidemic. On Wednesday, July 15, in Nyankunde, 45 km southwest of Bunia in Ituri province, gunfire erupted between militiamen near an Ebola treatment center in the east of the country. In a separate incident, angry men pelted the center's buildings with stones. Both incidents caused panic. On Thursday, Ebola response personnel left the area for security reasons.

Published on:17/07/2026 - 02:59
Modified on:17/07/2026 - 09:41

By : RFI

The exact circumstances of the attack on the Nyankunde Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) are still unclear. There appear to have been two separate incidents. According to several accounts, gunfire involving local militias broke out in the area; one of their leaders was killed.

Meanwhile, the family of a pregnant woman who died at the medical center tried to recover her body and, in anger, stoned the treatment center.

The two incidents caused panic. In the confusion, four Ebola patients fled. According to an official at the medical center, the four Ebola patients have returned to the Nyankunde center. However, one suspected case escaped.

Medical staff are leaving the area

On Thursday morning, medical staff from the WHO, Africa CDC and the NGO Samaritans Purse decided to leave Nyankunde to go to Bunia.

Dr. Yap Boum, head of the emergency response division at Africa CDC, is concerned about the departure of the response teams, some fifteen people. He says that as long as security conditions remain unfavorable, the response to the epidemic risks being hampered.

" This means that this health zone becomes insecure, and an insecure health zone means that professionals cannot access it [...] This can really impact the various operations that are planned in health zones where there may be a significant number of cases ," he laments.

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20260717-ebola-en-rdc-un-centre-de-traitement-pris-pour-cible-%C3%A0-nyankunde