29.05.2026 21:30
The Ebola outbreak that has resurfaced in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an African country, is spreading rapidly. The number of cases in the outbreak, declared on May 15, quickly reached 1,077, while 246 people have died. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noting that cases have also been seen in neighboring Uganda, issued a high-risk alert for 12 African countries.
The number of cases is rising in the new Ebola outbreak in Ituri and North Kivu provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country in Africa.
1077 CASES, 246 DEATHS
Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), stated in a statement that 1077 cases have been recorded so far in the Ebola outbreak declared in the DRC on May 15, with 246 of them losing their lives.
Emphasizing that the outbreak is still active, Kaseya said they expect an increase in the number of cases. Kaseya noted that deficiencies in contact tracing and surveillance activities, as well as insufficient laboratory capacity, pose significant challenges in combating the outbreak.
12 MORE COUNTRIES AT HIGH RISK
Stating that 8 Ebola cases have been seen in neighboring Uganda, Kaseya reported that South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Somalia are also at high risk of being affected by the outbreak.
OUTBREAK WAS DECLARED
An outbreak was declared in the country on May 15, following 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths announced in Ituri province in eastern DRC. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency due to the Ebola outbreak on May 17.
According to health authorities, the current outbreak is caused by the "Bundibugyo" virus, a rare Ebola variant, for which there is no approved treatment or vaccine.
CAUSED THOUSANDS OF DEATHS IN AFRICA
The Ebola virus, which causes a type of hemorrhagic fever, first emerged in 1976 with simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, DRC. The disease was named after the Ebola River because the outbreak in the DRC started in a village near that river. The Ebola virus spread in West Africa in December 2013. In the outbreak seen in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone between 2014-2017, 30,000 people were infected, and more than 11,000 patients died.