The DRC Ebola outbreak has strained health workers in Bunia, Ituri Province, after the WHO confirmed Bundibugyo virus cases in Congo and Uganda in May 2026.
CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward reported from Bunia, where doctors treated patients inside high-risk isolation areas at Bunia General Hospital.
The World Health Organisation said the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. WHO said there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for that species, though candidate work is under way.
The outbreak was first flagged after a high-mortality cluster in Mongbwalu Health Zone, Ituri Province, on May 5, according to WHO. Congo’s health ministry confirmed the outbreak on May 15.
AP reported on June 1 that Congo had recorded 282 confirmed cases and 42 deaths, with most cases centred in eastern Ituri Province. Uganda reported nine cases and one death.
Read: DRC Ebola Outbreak Death QToll Reaches 177
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia as the agency opened a new treatment centre and urged community cooperation to slow transmission.
Aid agencies have warned that conflict, distrust of health teams and weak lab capacity have complicated contact tracing, isolation and treatment efforts in eastern Congo.
