Congo sees sharp Ebola rise with 72 cases in one day

15 Jun 2026 16:32

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Congo sees sharp Ebola rise with 72 cases in one day

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Congolese authorities have recorded 72 new Ebola cases within 24 hours, marking one of the largest single-day increases since the outbreak was declared on May 15. The rise comes amid ongoing challenges such as weak contact tracing, insecurity, and funding shortfalls that are hampering the response.

The new cases take the total number of confirmed infections to 782, including 181 confirmed deaths after 32 new deaths were recorded, the Congolese Ministry of Health said on Sunday, News.Az reports, citing India Today.

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The outbreak is being caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, unlike the Zaire virus that was responsible for most of Congo's previous 16 Ebola outbreaks.

Authorities believe the true number of cases could be higher because the outbreak was confirmed weeks after it is suspected to have begun. The ministry said contact tracing coverage has dropped to 56 per cent, a sharp fall from last week. It also said 56 people have recovered and the current fatality rate stands at 23 per cent.

The World Health Organisation said on Sunday it is intensifying testing, contact tracing and treatment. Africa's top health body said the same day that it is deploying technical expertise and supporting laboratory systems, active case finding and community engagement efforts to speed up the response.

"We remain committed to supporting affected countries until transmission is stopped. We call on partners and donors to urgently mobilise resources to strengthen the response and save lives," said Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC.

The outbreak is concentrated in Congo's eastern Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and the outbreak has spread across the border to Uganda. According to the UN humanitarian office, nearly a million people have been displaced by conflict in Ituri, making contact tracing difficult as people flee attacks or move frequently across a vast area with dense forests, poor roads and remote villages that can take days to reach. Tracing is also difficult among thousands of artisanal miners who regularly move between remote sites in the mineral-rich region.

Overall, the latest Ebola outbreak in Congo is widening quickly, with health authorities and international agencies trying to contain the spread amid low tracing coverage, displacement and difficult ground conditions.

News.Az

By Ulviyya Salmanli