Congo reports record single-day jump of 72 Ebola cases, total reaches 782 as Bundibugyo strain spreads

Outbreak expands rapidly

Congolese health ministry figures released on Sunday showed 72 new confirmed Ebola cases in 24 hours, one of the largest daily increases since the outbreak was declared on 15 May. The total now stands at 782 confirmed cases, with 181 confirmed deaths, a case fatality rate of roughly 23%. The rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, is driving the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country. Ituri province remains the epicentre, accounting for more than 90% of cases, but the disease has also been detected in North Kivu and South Kivu, and has crossed into neighbouring Uganda.

Response gaps and conflict

Contact tracing coverage has plummeted to 56%, well below the 95% target, according to the health ministry. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the response is lagging behind the speed of the outbreak.

“No-one knows the true scale or exactly where the disease is spreading.”

Testing delays are a major bottleneck: only one laboratory in North Kivu can process blood samples, and treatment centres wait days for results. In Ituri, nearly a million people have been displaced by armed conflict, and thousands of artisanal miners move regularly between remote mining sites, creating transmission hotspots that evade monitoring. The outbreak is believed to have originated in the mining-intensive Mongbwalu health zone.

2026-06-10

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2026-06-14

782

Data from the article text

International concern and cross-border spread

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern last month. Uganda has confirmed 19 cases, including two deaths, linked to cross-border transmission. Europe is on alert, though health authorities in Ireland say the risk remains low and that the country is well prepared. The US administration has called for travel restrictions on people recently in affected Central African countries to avoid spread during the upcoming football World Cup.

“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.”

US doctor released from isolation

A US doctor, identified in media as Patrick LaRochelle, who had been isolated in Prague's Bulovka hospital since 21 May after contact with an Ebola patient in Uganda, was released on 10 June after the virus's incubation period ended. He showed no symptoms, the hospital said.