Kinshasa, June 13 (IANS). The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has increased to 689, including 139 deaths. This information has been given in the latest situation report released by the health authorities.
According to reports, 17 new confirmed cases were reported on Thursday, including five deaths. All these cases were recorded in the eastern province of Ituri. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has affected 29 health zones in three provinces in the eastern region – Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
As of Thursday, 168 suspected cases were also reported, of which 64 people have died.
The report also cites a number of operational challenges, including reluctance to undergo post-mortem swabbing, limited capacity of Ebola treatment centres, a shortage of infection prevention and control materials in North Kivu, weak alert and surveillance reporting systems in the three provinces, and a financial shortfall of US$21.5 million ($21.5 million).
Two Ebola-related deaths have been recorded in a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ituri, according to a report released on Thursday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The current outbreak was officially declared by the DRC’s Ministry of Health on 15 May. According to Xinhua news agency, this is the 17th outbreak of Ebola in the country since the virus was identified in 1976.
Ebola outbreaks were confirmed in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in May 2026. The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola this time is a type for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment, although trials of potential vaccines and treatments are ongoing.
The outbreak comes at a time when the region is facing challenges such as humanitarian crisis, remote and densely populated areas, insecurity and increased movement of people and business activities.
The Ebola disease first emerged in two separate outbreaks in 1976. The first outbreak was recorded as Sudan virus disease in the Nzara region of present-day South Sudan, while the second outbreak was recorded as Ebola virus disease in the Yambuku region of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The second outbreak occurred in a village near the Ebola River, and the disease was named Ebola after this river.
–IANS
PM
