Ebola Outbreak Reported in Eastern Congo With Suspected Cases in Uganda

The World Health Organization reported an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo involving the Bundibugyo strain. According to the agency the outbreak has produced 51 confirmed cases, more than 900 suspected cases and 223 deaths in Ituri Province. The International Rescue Committee said cases had moved from remote northeastern areas into larger regional centers.

Officials have reported two suspected cases in Uganda and one suspected death in Kampala. A woman who traveled from Uganda was placed in quarantine in Bengaluru, India, with a suspected case. Two people who traveled from Uganda to Italy were hospitalized in Milan but laboratory tests ruled out Ebola.

The Red Cross identified ten other African countries at elevated risk: Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Zambia. The Bundibugyo strain carries a fatality rate between 21 percent and 50 percent. Ebola was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976; this is the country’s 17th outbreak.

Initial testing focused on the more common Zaire strain, which produced negative results. Scientists at Oxford University are testing the ChAdOx1 BDBV viral-vector vaccine, which could enter clinical trials within two to three months. The virus transmits through contact with sweat, blood, feces or vomit.

” The agency declared a pandemic emergency, its highest alert level since 2024. A survey by ActionAid found that one in three residents at the outbreak’s center do not believe the virus is real. Ngone Ngobba Jean Claude, a resident of Lita village in Ituri, told ActionAid that some residents view the disease as invented or satanic and believe alcohol confers immunity.