WHO puts suspected Ebola deaths at 220, warns outbreak is outpacing rescue efforts
Key takeaways
- Health workers in the conflict-hit Ituri province face attacks on medical facilities, complicating efforts to contain the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
- By: FRANCE 24 Red Cross team prepares for an outreach to sensitise people amid the Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo on May 25, 2026.
- Mongbwalu, a large town in the unstable northeastern province of Ituri, is at the epicentre of the outbreak, which was first detected on May 15.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The World Health Organization warned Monday that a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with at least 220 suspected deaths reported. Health workers in the conflict-hit Ituri province face attacks on medical facilities, complicating efforts to contain the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
By: FRANCE 24 Red Cross team prepares for an outreach to sensitise people amid the Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo on May 25, 2026. © Moses Sawasawa, AP The head of the World Health Organization said on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, giving the latest number of suspected deaths as 220.
Mongbwalu, a large town in the unstable northeastern province of Ituri, is at the epicentre of the outbreak, which was first detected on May 15. Since then the virus has killed more than 200 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.