KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO / MENA Newswire / – The Democratic Republic of Congo reported 1,048 confirmed Ebola cases, including 267 deaths, as the outbreak in the country’s east passed the 1,000-case mark. Health authorities said the latest figures were recorded late Monday, after confirmed infections crossed that threshold on Sunday. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a rare form of the virus with no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare has reported cases across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Ituri remains the main center of the outbreak, with the largest share of confirmed infections. The ministry declared the outbreak on May 15 after laboratory confirmation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The current outbreak is the country’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials or the bodies of people who died from the disease. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and bleeding. Health teams use testing, isolation, safe burials and contact tracing to reduce transmission. Supportive care can improve survival, but no licensed vaccine targets the Bundibugyo species involved in this outbreak.
Case count climbs
The rising case count includes infections in displacement settings, where crowded conditions can make disease control harder. Authorities reported that a young child died after the virus reached a third displacement camp. The child had symptoms before death and had contact with more than 100 people. Other camps in eastern Congo have reported confirmed infections or deaths linked to the outbreak.
Health officials have also reported recoveries and continued isolation of patients. Earlier figures showed 100 recoveries and hundreds of people hospitalized or isolated. Contact tracing has covered just over half of identified contacts in recent updates. The World Health Organization has assessed the risk in the Democratic Republic of Congo as very high because transmission continues in new health zones.
Response faces access gaps
The outbreak is unfolding in an area affected by long-running conflict and large-scale displacement. Many communities in eastern Congo have limited access to health services, clean water and secure transport. These conditions can slow testing, care and follow-up work. The U.N. refugee agency has warned that millions of displaced people live in areas at risk of Ebola exposure.
Uganda has also reported cases linked to the Congo outbreak, including infections in the capital, Kampala. Cross-border movement between eastern Congo and Uganda remains a key concern for health teams. Ebola response work now centers on rapid diagnosis, isolation, contact tracing and community outreach. Authorities have not identified the first case in the current outbreak.