DRC Ebola outbreak kills 600, spreads to new provinces

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now claimed 600 lives and is spreading into new provinces, with health authorities declaring it the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record. As of July 9, 2026, the total number of confirmed cases has reached 1,759, with the virus suspected in the previously unaffected provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uele, signaling a dangerous geographical expansion from its epicenter in Ituri province.

The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was officially declared on May 15. Officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the current outbreak has seen 1,596 cases in its first six weeks, a rate surpassing the initial phase of the 2013-2016 West Africa epidemic. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response for the Africa CDC, said the virus is moving faster than the deployment of resources to control it, with cases estimated to be doubling every 28 days.

A government report published on July 8 detailed two suspected cases in Kisangani, a city in Tshopo province. One case is linked to the NiaNia...