In just the first month, Ebola in DR Congo hits record number of cases

2026-06-24 07:56:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official has warned that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded the highest number of confirmed cases in its first month compared to any other Ebola epidemic in Africa.

According to official data, more than 1,000 cases and 267 deaths from the relatively rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus have been confirmed as of Monday.

The Director of Health Emergencies Alert and Response Operations at the WHO, Abdirahman Mahamud, stated that this is the largest number of confirmed cases in the first month of an Ebola outbreak on the African continent.

The WHO officially confirmed the epidemic on May 15, although experts believe the virus had been circulating for weeks or months before its identification.

Cases are also spreading in displaced people's camps

Health authorities have also confirmed cases in at least three overcrowded camps for displaced people in eastern Congo, an area hit by years of armed conflict.

The representative of the International Organization for Migration, Abdoulaye Wone, said that 25 cases have been confirmed in these camps, including 14 fatalities.

Experts warn that the response to the epidemic must be expanded at a faster pace to curb the spread of the virus.

Kenya suspends construction of US-backed quarantine center

Meanwhile, Kenya's Health Minister, Aden Duale, announced that he has ordered the immediate halt to the construction of an Ebola quarantine center funded by the United States.

The facility was being built at Laikipia Air Base, about 200 kilometers from the capital Nairobi, and was expected to have 50 isolation beds for treating American citizens who might become infected while working in Congo.

The decision to suspend the works came after a Kenyan court found that the ministry had not complied with previous orders to halt the project until the judicial review was completed.

Plans to build the center had sparked strong protests in the country, while three people lost their lives during riots in the area where the works were taking place.

Concerns about the spread of the virus

Kenya has not recorded any cases of Ebola to date, but citizens have expressed concern about the possibility of infected patients being brought into the country.

According to reports, the only American citizen to have been infected so far during this outbreak – a missionary doctor working in eastern Congo – has been transported to Berlin, Germany, where he is being treated at a specialized center.

Experts warn that the rapid spread of the virus in conflict zones and displacement camps could make it much more difficult to control the epidemic in the coming weeks. /CNA