Ituri, June 2026 — 95% of cases, one province, one race against a virus with no vaccine. The DRC health minister has reported 381 confirmed Ebola cases and 63 deaths since screening operations began — with a fatality rate below 17%, lower than previous outbreaks, but the WHO warns of significant gaps in testing, contact tracing and community trust.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded 381 confirmed cases of Ebola and 63 deaths since the outbreak’s screening and surveillance operations began, health minister Samuel-Roger Kamba announced Thursday at a press conference in Kinshasa. The current fatality rate stands below 17% — a figure the minister attributed to improvements in patient care and the strengthening of the response system since the outbreak was declared on 15 May.
The geographic concentration is striking: Ituri province alone accounts for nearly 95% of all recorded cases. The other affected provinces report far lower figures — 19 cases in a northern province and around three in a southern one, according to official data presented at the press conference.
Compared with previous outbreaks — particularly those caused by the Zaire strain, which reached fatality rates of up to 80% — the current situation is less deadly. The minister credited the improvement to better detection systems, the availability of care and the speed of response. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine currently exists.
WHO: response is catching up — but gaps are real
On Wednesday, the WHO assessed that the Ebola response in the DRC is beginning to “catch up” — but sounded a clear warning about significant shortfalls in testing, contact tracing and community trust. The organisation had earlier classified this outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert under its framework. The Bundibugyo strain’s absence of a vaccine makes community trust and contact tracing the primary tools available to responders.
- Source: AP