New Ebola Outbreak Confirmed in Congo's Ituri Province with 65 Deaths

A new Ebola outbreak in Congo's Ituri province has recorded 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths as of May 15, 2026. Preliminary laboratory results detected Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples, suggesting a non-Ebola Zaire strain with sequencing ongoing. The WHO is releasing $500,000 for emergency response. Africa CDC convened an urgent coordination meeting on May 15, 2026 with Congo, Uganda and South Sudan due to cross-border transmission risks.

Ituri province outbreak details

• ▪Suspected Ebola cases have been reported in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, pending confirmation
• ▪A new Ebola outbreak in Congo's Ituri province has recorded 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths as of May 15, 2026
• ▪Ituri province is in a remote eastern part of Congo characterized by poor road networks, more than 1,000 kilometers from the nation's capital of Kinshasa

Virus strain identification

• ▪The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen
• ▪Results confirming the strain in Congo's new Ebola outbreak are expected within 24 hours of May 15, 2026
• ▪The Ervebo Ebola vaccine is effective against the Ebola Zaire strain
• ▪Preliminary laboratory results detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples from Congo's Ituri province outbreak
• ▪The preliminary results from Congo's Ituri province outbreak suggest a non-Ebola Zaire strain of the virus with sequencing ongoing to further characterize the strain

International response coordination

• ▪The World Health Organization is releasing $500,000 to aid Congo's Ebola response
• ▪Africa CDC convened an urgent coordination meeting on May 15, 2026 with health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, together with key partners including U.N. agencies
• ▪During Congo's 2025 Ebola outbreak, which lasted three months, the World Health Organization initially faced significant challenges in delivering vaccines due to limited access and scarce funds
• ▪The Africa CDC coordination meeting on May 15, 2026 focused on immediate response priorities, cross-border coordination, surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and control, risk communication, safe and dignified burials, and resource mobilization
• ▪Congo has a stockpile of Ebola treatments and some 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine as of 2025
• ▪The World Health Organization sent a team to help Congo investigate the Ebola outbreak and collect samples the week before May 15, 2026

Congo's Ebola outbreak history

• ▪An Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in eastern Congo killed more than 1,000 people
• ▪Congo's last Ebola outbreak before May 2026 was declared over after 43 deaths, approximately five months before the new outbreak
• ▪The 2018 to 2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo was characterized by the Ebola Zaire strain
• ▪The May 2026 Ebola outbreak in Congo's Ituri province is the 17th outbreak in Congo since the disease first emerged in the country in 1976

Security challenges in region

• ▪Ituri province is battling violence from the Allied Democratic Force, an Islamic State-linked militant group which has killed dozens there and in other parts of eastern Congo
• ▪Congo has been battling various armed groups in the east, including the M23 rebel group, which launched a rapid assault in January 2025 and has since occupied key cities