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GENEVA: Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed in the deadly outbreak raging in central Africa, a WHO overview showed Saturday, amid mounting concern over the swelling scale of the epidemic. In its daily update on the situation, the World Health Organization tallied 452 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak was declared three weeks ago. In neighboring Uganda, meanwhile, it counted 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths. The total of 471 cases and 84 deaths, based on numbers reported by the DRC and Ugandan governments, marked a hike of 100 cases and 20 deaths from a day earlier. The increase came amid warnings that the outbreak, which the WHO has declared an international public health emergency, could eventually swell to become the largest on record. A top official at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that models indicated that without strong public health interventions, the current outbreak risked rivalling the scale of the 2014 West Africa epidemic, which saw over 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths. &quot;That scale is possible,&quot; said Jason Asher, director of CDC&#39;s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, during a press briefing. Ebola, which is spread through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The current outbreak was declared on May 15 in northeastern DR Congo, but the virus is believed to have spread under the radar for some time beforehand. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the outbreak. The WHO and the African CDC on Friday launched a $518-million plan to battle the outbreak over the next six months, focusing among other things on boosting surveillance, laboratory testing and infection prevention. &quot;The outbreak is moving fast, and we are still playing catch-up,&quot; WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. &quot;We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighboring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear,&quot; he said. &quot;This is a serious outbreak and its one we know how to stop but we need to move fast and together.&quot;

Doctors Without Border (MSF) personnel stands at the Elikya clinic Ebola treatment center in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on June 5, 2026. (AFP)

Africa

In its daily update on the situation, the World Health Organization tallied 452 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak was declared three weeks ago.

Nearly 500 confirmed cases in Central Africa Ebola outbreak: WHO

ISLAMABAD: The International Rescue Committee warned Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is likely much larger and more advanced than official figures indicate, as response efforts struggle with delayed detection and dangerously low levels of contact tracing. According to World Health Organization data, Ebola is a rare but severe and often fatal illness in humans, with an average case fatality rate of around 50%, ranging from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks. The current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, for which no approved vaccine or specific therapeutics currently exist, according to available epidemiological data. The virus spreads through direct contact with broken skin or mucous membranes and bodily fluids of infected or deceased persons, and through indirect contact with contaminated surfaces or materials, according to WHO tracking. The incubation period is 2 to 21 days, with individuals not contagious until symptoms appear, per WHO guidelines. With only 20% of contacts currently being traced, health authorities are struggling to identify and isolate new chains of transmission, according to the IRC. The virus may have been spreading undetected since before March, potentially as long as three months before the first official case was identified, allowing multiple chains of transmission to establish across communities and provinces, the IRC warned. &quot;The true scale of this Ebola outbreak is likely far worse than official figures suggest,&quot; said Rachel Howard, Senior Technical Emergency Health Adviser at the IRC. &quot;When four out of five contacts are not being traced, it becomes incredibly difficult to contain the outbreak or even understand its true scale. We&#39;re especially concerned about the virus spreading to other countries like Burundi or South Sudan.&quot; According to integrated epidemiological data, the total confirmed case numbers are 282 in the DRC and 9 in Uganda, with over 220 suspected cases under investigation. At least 42 confirmed deaths have been reported in the DRC and 1 in Uganda. IRC teams report that shortages of diagnostic cartridges and testing backlogs are slowing case confirmation, further obscuring the true spread of the outbreak. Seven confirmed Ebola patients have reportedly left treatment centers in the DRC. More than six healthcare workers have died, including two doctors, in recent days. People are avoiding health facilities, raising concerns that those affected are staying in their communities rather than seeking treatment. Without urgent funding, the situation could deteriorate rapidly. The outbreak is increasingly resembling the 2018-20 North Kivu Ebola crisis, which infected thousands of people and was complicated by insecurity, population movement, and community resistance. However, unlike in previous outbreaks, when the Ervebo vaccine was deployed, there is currently no approved vaccine for this Ebola strain. The IRC called for urgent international support to scale up contact tracing, surveillance, laboratory testing, treatment capacity, and community engagement efforts. In Uganda, the organization teamed up with the local health ministry on the border to support infection prevention and control activities, including screening people coming across the border.

The current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, for which no approved vaccine or specific therapeutics currently exist.

Congo Ebola outbreak likely far larger than official figures suggest: IRC

ADDIS ABABA: Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo updated the death toll from the Ebola outbreak to 204 late Saturday, hours after the Red Cross said three volunteers had died there and Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases. A health ministry statement said 204 deaths had been recorded in three provinces of the vast central African country, from 867 suspected cases. The last World Health Organization toll on Friday put the number of deaths at 177 from 750 suspected cases. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever an international emergency. On Saturday, the African Union&#39;s health agency warned that more countries on the continent were at risk of being affected by the Ebola virus, in addition to the DRC and Uganda. &quot;We have 10 countries at risk,&quot; said Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), listing Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia. Kaseya said &quot;high mobility and insecurity&quot; in the region were helping spread the disease. The new cases confirmed in Uganda on Saturday bring to five the total confirmed in the east African country since it was detected there and in the DRC on May 15. One person in Uganda has died. The health ministry named the new patients as a Ugandan driver, a Ugandan health worker and a woman from the DRC. All are alive. Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. The current epidemic centers on the conflict-wracked eastern DRC, where it was detected in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, before spreading to South Kivu. First known victimsThe Red Cross said on Saturday that three Congolese volunteers had died in Ituri after apparently contracting Ebola there. The three &quot;were carrying out dead body management activities on March 27 as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola&quot;, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). &quot;At the time of the intervention, the community was not aware of the Ebola virus disease outbreak... They are among the first known victims.&quot;Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half-century. On Friday,&nbsp;the WHO raised the risk from Ebola in the DRC to its highest level &ndash; &quot;very high&quot;. It said the risk in central Africa was &quot;high&quot; but the global risk remained &quot;low&quot;. The outbreak, which experts suspect was circulating under the radar for some time, is caused by the less common Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. On Thursday, Uganda suspended public transport to the DRC after confirming its first two cases &ndash; one infection and one death &ndash; involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border. It said the driver confirmed infected on Saturday had been at the wheel of the vehicle in which one of the ill Congolese nationals had travelled to Uganda.The health worker was exposed to the virus when treating that Congolese patient. The third case was a Congolese woman who had visited Uganda and tested positive for Ebola after returning to the DRC. &#39;Everyone&#39;s problem&#39;&nbsp;The eastern DRC has been plagued for three decades by conflict involving numerous armed groups. State services in rural areas of Ituri have been largely absent for decades. South Kivu is controlled by the Rwandan-backed armed group M23, which has never had to manage an epidemic like Ebola. &quot;This is everyone&#39;s problem,&quot; Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told a news conference in Addis Ababa alongside Kaseya. He said the Kinshasa government needed to have &quot;total control&quot; of the DRC territory to stop the virus spreading.

Health officials warn wider regional spread as new cases emerge in Uganda and deaths rise in Congo, prompting emergency response measures and concern across multiple African countries at risk of infection.

Ebola toll tops 200, other African countries seen at risk

ADDIS ABABA: Uganda said on Saturday it had confirmed three new cases of Ebola, bringing to five the total since the virus outbreak was discovered in the East African country on May 15. &quot;Three new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have been confirmed in the country,&quot; the health ministry said, naming the patients as a Ugandan driver, a Ugandan health worker, and a woman from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of a deadly outbreak sowing fear in the region. &quot;The ministry continues to strengthen surveillance, case management, contact tracing, and public awareness efforts to contain the outbreak and protect the health and safety of all Ugandans,&quot; it said in a statement on X. The news came a day after the World Health Organization said the risk from the outbreak had been raised to the highest level for the DRC. On Thursday, Uganda suspended all public transport to the DRC after confirming two cases of Ebola -- one infection and one death -- involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border.

Medical personnel at CBCA Virunga Hospital wear gowns, masks, and protective gear as they prepare an isolation room for a female patient placed under 21-day observation in the suspected cases area in Goma, on May 21, 2026. 

"Three new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have been confirmed in the country," the health ministry said, naming the patients as a Ugandan driver, a Ugandan health worker, and a woman from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of a deadly outbreak sowing fear in the region.

Articles tagged with "Uganda"

Nearly 500 confirmed cases in Central Africa Ebola outbreak: WHO

Congo Ebola outbreak likely far larger than official figures suggest: IRC

Ebola toll tops 200, other African countries seen at risk

Three new Ebola cases confirmed in Uganda: Ministry