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Ebola in the DRC: 159 deaths estimated and 626 suspected cases, announces the Congolese Minister of Health on RFI
The Congolese Minister of Health announced this Thursday morning, May 21, on RFI's "Appels sur l'actualité" program , a new update on the Ebola epidemic affecting parts of eastern Congo. Samuel Kamba reported 159 deaths likely due to Ebola and 626 suspected cases. The epicenter of the outbreak remains in Ituri province, in the provincial capital Bunia and the mining town of Mongwalu, Djugu territory, but cases have also been recorded in other areas.
Published on:21/05/2026 - 14:04
By : RFI
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Paulina Zidi
Until now, North Kivu was the other province affected by the epidemic, with one confirmed case in Goma and two confirmed cases in Butembo. Now, South Kivu is also affected. The armed group AFC/M23, which controls part of the area, announced this morning that a case has been diagnosed in Miti, in the Kabare territory. A young man who had arrived from Tshopo, more precisely from the city of Kisangani, according to the rebel group's statement. Two of his contacts, who are also ill, have been placed in isolation.
In Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, the situation is complicated. " There is still no effective action on the ground ," Florent Uzzeni of MSF told us this morning. The Minister of Health, Samuel Kamba, acknowledges that there is significant strain on hospitals, but according to him, the first centers dedicated exclusively to Ebola patients must be operational quickly: " today or tomorrow ," he stated.
Less dramatic hemorrhages
The minister explained that this strain of Ebola, different from the one in Zaire that usually circulates in the country, is more difficult to detect.
" For the Bundibugyo variant , confirmation is done by the laboratory. We cannot confirm it clinically, only based on symptoms ," Samuel Kamba explained to Juan Gomez on the program "Appels sur l'actualité" (Calls on Current Events).
“ Unlike the Ebola virus in Zaire, which we regularly see in our country and which is very dramatic, this one is less dramatic ,” the Congolese Minister of Health also explained. “ That is to say, it causes fever, a high fever, very high even. It causes vomiting, it causes diarrhea. (...) This is what is seen in many other diseases, for example, malaria. And then, hemorrhages can gradually appear. ”
It's also difficult because not all laboratories can detect Bundibigyo. Indeed, not all INRB laboratories in the country are equipped for it; they are equipped for the Zaire strain. For now, we can at least rely on those in Kinshasa, Goma, and Bunia. But
the pace of testing doesn't allow for the confirmation of all cases. For example, it takes several days for tests to leave Mongwalu and be processed in Bunia.
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20260...nce-le-ministre-de-la-santé-congolais-sur-rfi
