Mirian Gom 
DR- Congo – The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 894 confirmed cases and 204 deaths, making it one of the largest Ebola emergencies in modern history and raising concerns over inadequate contact tracing, funding gaps and worsening insecurity.
The latest figures were disclosed on Thursday by Wessam Mankoula during an Ebola outbreak webinar organised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Mankoula, 74 recoveries have been recorded since the outbreak was declared on May 15, 2026, while Uganda’s situation remains relatively stable with 19 confirmed cases, two deaths and seven recoveries, all confined to a single health zone in Kampala.
However, he warned that the DRC remains the epicentre of the crisis, with Ituri Province accounting for 91 per cent of confirmed cases and nearly 78 per cent of recorded deaths.
“North Kivu is the most worrisome area due to insecurity limiting responder access, resulting in a high case fatality rate and the lowest contact tracing coverage among the affected provinces,” Mankoula said.
“This ranks as the third-largest Ebola outbreak by total cases and deaths so far, behind only the West Africa 2014 outbreak and the 2018–2019 DRC outbreak,” he added.
Africa CDC reported that confirmed cases increased by 38 per cent in the past week alone, signalling sustained transmission despite intensified response efforts.
“Without licensed vaccines or therapeutics for the Sudan strain, controlling the outbreak depends entirely on case identification, contact listing and daily monitoring,” Mankoula said.
Mankoula also revealed that African leaders recently secured $910 million in pledges for the Ebola response, including $80 million from African Union member states. However, less than $90 million has so far been released to support operations.
About the Author
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Korede Abdullah 