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Data
Headline rises to 1,426 / 440 (DRC 1,406 / 438); PARTNERS treatment trial enrols its first patient
CDC's case-count CSV lifts DRC to 1,406 confirmed cases and 438 confirmed deaths as of 30 June, up from 1,333 / 399, corroborated by WHO's 2 July trial release (over 1,400 cases, nearly 440 deaths, about 210 recoveries); ECDC still carries 1,333 / 399 as of 29 June. Uganda holds at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths on its 2 July dashboard (recoveries up to 16), so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,426 cases and 440 deaths, a confirmed case-fatality rate near 31%. On 2 July, WHO announced that patient enrolment had begun in the PARTNERS trial (Platform Adaptive Randomised Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus TreatmentS), the first clinical trial of treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease, which enrolled its first patient in Bunia; it is WHO-sponsored, coordinated by the Congolese INRB, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp and the University of Oxford, and randomises patients to standard care with or without MBP134 and remdesivir. Separately, UNDP estimated the outbreak could cut DRC output by about 1.6% (more than US$1 billion) and push nearly one million more people into poverty.
Official reconciliation lifts the headline to 1,353 / 401 (DRC 1,333 / 399)
ECDC, updated 1 July, and CDC's case-count CSV now list DRC at 1,333 confirmed cases and 399 confirmed deaths as of 29 June, with 609 people hospitalised in isolation, 189 recovered, and an 82.7% contact follow-up rate. This official reconciliation supersedes the 1,307 / 377 DRC government figure Al Jazeera and Xinhua reported on 30 June. Uganda holds at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths on its 2 July dashboard (testing up to 2,152), so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,353 cases and 401 deaths, a confirmed case-fatality rate near 30%. ECDC's province split is Ituri 1,214 cases and 335 deaths across 23 of 36 health zones, North Kivu 116 and 63 across 11, and South Kivu 3 and 1 across one, and ECDC now lists Haut-Uele as a newly affected province identified through cases in Ituri's Nia-Nia health zone. Tshopo (Kisangani) remains under investigation and outside the headline.
Counts hold at 1,327 / 379; DRC traces possible spread to two new provinces (Haut-Uele, Tshopo)
No newer official case/death figure superseded the 30 June headline: CDC's case-count CSV and ECDC still list DRC at 1,274 / 360 as of 27 June, and the latest DRC government figure remains 1,307 / 377 as of 29 June, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline holds at 1,327 cases and 379 deaths. Reuters reported on 30 June that DRC health authorities are tracing possible Ebola spread to two provinces not previously in the case count, Haut-Uele and Tshopo, both linked to Ituri's Niania health zone. In Tshopo, the body of a pregnant woman who fell ill in Niania on 18 June and died on 27 June was carried about 300 kilometres by motorcycle to Kisangani, where a morgue sample tested positive, and the body had passed through several health zones before diagnosis. In Haut-Uele, two Niania contacts who fled isolation were traced, one testing positive and the other awaiting confirmation, before both were returned to Niania. Both provinces are under investigation and are not yet folded into the confirmed headline or ECDC's affected-province counts.
Confirmed headline rises to 1,327 / 379; outbreak reaches a fourth province, Haut-Uele
Al Jazeera and Xinhua report DRC government figures of 1,307 confirmed cases and 377 confirmed deaths as of 29 June, a 28.8% case-fatality rate, with 180 recoveries, 615 patients under care, and an 81.3% contact follow-up rate. Uganda holds at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths on its 29 June dashboard, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,327 cases and 379 deaths. DRC's National Institute of Biomedical Research told AFP that the outbreak reached a fourth province, Haut-Uele, after an infected person travelled from Bunia in Ituri and later died there; Haut-Uele borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic, so the whole of DRC's northeast (about 15 million people) is now affected. The DRC Interior Ministry banned mass gatherings in Kinshasa, Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele, and President Tshisekedi announced a national response plan budgeted at US$319 million.
Confirmed headline rises to 1,294 / 362; outbreak spreads to Mandima in Ituri
CDC's case-count CSV, updated 29 June, lifts DRC to 1,274 confirmed cases and 360 confirmed deaths as of 27 June, corroborated by ECDC (updated 29 June) and a 29 June Xinhua report citing DRC government figures (a 28.3% case-fatality rate, 178 recoveries, and 502 patients in isolation or hospital). Uganda holds at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths on its 29 June dashboard, with active contacts under follow-up now at 0, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,294 cases and 362 deaths. ECDC's province split is Ituri 1,165 across 23 health zones, North Kivu 106 across 11, and South Kivu 3 in one, with Mandima in Ituri newly affected, bringing the total to 35 affected health zones.
Counts hold at 1,223 / 323 over the weekend; MBP134 + remdesivir trial due to begin
No newer official figure superseded the 27 June headline over the weekend. CDC's case-count CSV still lists DRC at 1,203 confirmed cases and 321 confirmed deaths as of 25 June, ECDC still carries 1,155 / 304 as of 24 June, and Uganda's dashboard, refreshed 28 June, remains at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths (the screening total now splits into 2,105 inbound and 1,714 outbound travellers). The DRC-plus-Uganda headline therefore holds at 1,223 cases and 323 deaths. WHO's clinical trial of MBP134 and remdesivir, which Tedros said on 25 June was due to start the following week, is expected to begin in DRC in the week beginning 29 June; as of 28 June no primary source had confirmed the first patient was enrolled.
CDC case-count file lifts confirmed headline to 1,223 / 323
CDC's case-count CSV, updated 26 June, lists DRC Ministry of Health data at 1,203 confirmed cases and 321 confirmed deaths as of 25 June. Uganda remains at 20 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths on its 27 June dashboard, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,223 confirmed cases and 323 confirmed deaths. ECDC's 26 June page carries the preceding DRC snapshot at 1,155 / 304 as of 24 June and updates the province split to Ituri 1,054, North Kivu 98, and South Kivu 3, with no newly affected health zones.
ECDC geography refreshed; headline holds at 1,138 / 293
ECDC updated its outbreak page on 25 June with DRC data as of 23 June. The DRC headline now matches the 25 June Xinhua-reported government figure at 1,118 confirmed cases and 291 deaths, while the province split moves to Ituri 1,020 confirmed cases from 22 health zones, North Kivu 95 from 11 zones and South Kivu 3 from one zone, with no newly affected health zones. Uganda updated its dashboard on 26 June but remains at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline stays at 1,138 cases and 293 deaths.
Xinhua carries 25 June DRC government figures of 1,118 confirmed cases and 291 confirmed deaths, with 122 recoveries, 408 patients under care, 138 suspected cases, and a 77.1% contact follow-up rate. Uganda remains at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths on its latest 24 June dashboard, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,138 cases and 293 deaths. ECDC lists a lower timing snapshot of DRC at 1,094 / 277 as of 22 June, with Ituri 997, North Kivu 94 and South Kivu 3. WHO officials said the response has scaled up but is still being outpaced, and STAT reports that a DRC trial of MBP134 and remdesivir is expected to start next week.
Confirmed headline rises to 1,114 / 279; France reports an imported case
Xinhua and AP carry 24 June DRC Ministry of Health figures of 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 confirmed deaths, with 115 recoveries, 387 cases under quarantine or receiving treatment, and 131 suspected cases. Uganda remains at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths on its 24 June dashboard, so the DRC-plus-Uganda headline rises to 1,114 cases and 279 deaths. France reported one imported confirmed case in a doctor returning from a DRC transmission zone; EbolaIntel notes France separately and keeps it outside the DRC-plus-Uganda headline total unless WHO or ECDC include France in affected-country totals.
Uganda contacts and ECDC geography refreshed; headline holds at 1,023 / 256
Uganda's 22 June dashboard keeps the country at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, while active contacts under follow-up fall to 9 and completed 21-day follow-ups rise to 817. ECDC now breaks DRC's 1,003 confirmed cases into Ituri 916, North Kivu 84 and South Kivu 3, and names Fataki, Drodro and Musienene as newly affected health zones. CDC says DRC has confirmed more than 1,000 cases, that the case count has risen faster than any previous Ebola outbreak to date, and that this is now the largest Bundibugyo outbreak.
Xinhua, citing the DRC Ministry of Health epidemiological update, reports that DRC reached 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 confirmed deaths, with 100 recoveries, 365 patients isolated or hospitalized, and a 58% contact follow-up rate across the three affected provinces. At the first 22 June refresh, Uganda's latest dashboard was still dated 21 June and remained at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths. EbolaIntel therefore carried a confirmed DRC-plus-Uganda headline of 1,023 cases and 256 deaths.
Uganda dashboard raises the confirmed headline to 953 / 247
Uganda now reports 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths as of 21 June, up from 19 cases, with 15 imported cases, 5 local cases, 14 recoveries, 4 current admissions, 56 active contacts under follow-up, and 760 completed 21-day follow-ups. No newer DRC count supersedes the 20 June Reuters-reported DRC minister figure of 933 cases and 245 deaths, so the combined confirmed headline is now 953 cases and 247 deaths. CDC's 18 June transcript was added to response context because it documents more than 125 CDC staff in DRC and Uganda, US$107 million in emergency funding, and low risk to the United States.
Confirmed headline rises to 952 / 247 after DRC minister update
Reuters reports DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba saying DRC has reached 933 confirmed cases and 245 deaths, with 80 recovered patients discharged from treatment centres. Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, so the DRC-plus-Uganda confirmed headline is now 952 cases and 247 deaths. WHO DON608, published 19 June with data as of 17 June for DRC and 18 June for Uganda, carried a lower timing snapshot of 915 cases and 234 deaths and added the latest public health-zone detail: 33 affected DRC health zones, Ituri 817 cases, Bunia 247, Rwampara 195, Mongbwalu 189, and Nyankunde 68.
Headline holds at 856 / 198; recovery and clinical-care context updated
No newer official case/death headline supersedes ECDC's 17 June update, so the confirmed tally remains 856 cases and 198 deaths. The outbreak briefing now records AP reporting that seven people were discharged from the Rwampara treatment centre and that DRC has reported 49 recoveries since the outbreak began. Uganda dashboard contact follow-up changed to 122 active contacts and 694 completed follow-ups, and WHO's new filovirus clinical-management guidelines were added to the countermeasures context.
ECDC confirms 856 / 198 headline and adds 17 June province and security details
The confirmed headline remains 856 cases and 198 deaths across DRC and Uganda: ECDC now lists DRC at 837 confirmed cases and 196 confirmed deaths as of 15 June, and Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 17 June. ECDC adds that 376 people are hospitalised in isolation in DRC, Ituri has 767 confirmed cases across 20 health zones, North Kivu has 67 across 10 zones, and South Kivu has 3 in one zone. The outbreak briefing was updated with ECDC reports of an attack on a safe and dignified burial team in Mongbwalu and five workers taken hostage at points of entry/control after false accusations.
CDC raises the confirmed headline to 856 / 198 while ECDC carries a lower DRC count
CDC's 16 June current-situation page lists DRC at 837 confirmed cases and 196 confirmed deaths as of 14 June, while Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 16 June, plus one probable Ugandan case/death kept outside the confirmed headline. The combined confirmed tally is now 856 cases and 198 deaths. ECDC, citing DRC INSP SitRep N31, carries a lower same-day DRC figure of 808 cases and 192 deaths; EbolaIntel uses the higher CDC count and keeps ECDC for province detail: Ituri 738 cases across 20 health zones, North Kivu 67 across 10 zones, and South Kivu 3 in one zone.
Confirmed tally rises to 801 / 183 as DRC reports 782 cases and 181 deaths
ECDC, citing DRC Ministry of Health figures published on 14 June, lists DRC at 782 confirmed cases and 181 confirmed deaths as of 13 June; Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 15 June, plus one probable Ugandan case/death kept outside the confirmed headline. The combined confirmed tally is now 801 cases and 183 deaths. DRC cases now span Ituri with 717 cases across 20 health zones, North Kivu with 62 cases across 10 zones, and South Kivu with 3 cases in one zone; ECDC also reports 359 people hospitalised in isolation. AP reports 72 new confirmed DRC cases and 29 deaths in one 24-hour period, with contact-tracing coverage down to 56%.
WHO DON607 adds detailed health-zone, contact-tracing and risk-assessment data
WHO DON607 does not supersede CDC's later 708 / 141 confirmed headline, but it adds the latest detailed public DRC distribution as of 10 June: 29 affected health zones, 94 DRC cases still awaiting health-zone distribution, Bunia 185 cases, Rwampara 137, Mongbwalu 132, Nyankunde 33, 5,768 contacts identified, 4,141 followed up, and 16 confirmed cases among health and care workers. It also states that the therapeutics trial protocol for MBP134 and REGN3479 treatment plus obeldesivir post-exposure prophylaxis has been submitted and is under ethics and regulatory review.
Confirmed tally rises to 708 / 141 as CDC posts later DRC ministry figures
CDC now lists DRC at 689 confirmed cases and 139 confirmed deaths as of 11 June, while Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 12 June, plus one probable Ugandan case/death kept outside the confirmed headline. The combined confirmed tally is now 708 cases and 141 deaths. ECDC remains the latest public province-level source, with Ituri at 629 cases across 19 health zones, North Kivu at 44 across nine zones, and South Kivu at 3 in one zone as of 10 June; WHO remarks on 12 June add that 32 people have recovered in DRC and 5 in Uganda, while DRC testing and contact tracing remain below the level needed to interrupt transmission.
Confirmed tally rises to 695 / 138 as DRC reports 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths
ECDC, citing DRC INSP figures, and the Uganda Ministry of Health now put the confirmed outbreak tally at 695 cases and 138 deaths across DRC and Uganda. DRC reports 676 confirmed cases and 136 confirmed deaths as of 10 June, including 41 new confirmed cases and 9 new confirmed deaths since the previous update; Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 11 June, plus one probable death kept outside the confirmed headline. Ituri now reports 629 cases across 19 health zones, North Kivu reports 44 across nine zones, and South Kivu remains at 3 cases in one zone; ECDC reports three newly affected health zones but does not name them in the public update.
Confirmed tally rises to 654 / 129 as DRC reports 635 confirmed cases and 127 deaths
ECDC, CDC, DRC INSP and the Uganda Ministry of Health now put the confirmed outbreak tally at 654 cases and 129 deaths across DRC and Uganda. DRC reports 635 confirmed cases and 127 confirmed deaths as of 9 June, including 37 new confirmed cases and 12 new confirmed deaths since the previous update; Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 10 June, plus one probable death kept outside the confirmed headline. Ituri now reports 600 cases across 18 health zones, including newly listed Tchomia with two confirmed cases, while North Kivu reports 32 cases across seven zones and South Kivu reports 3 cases in one zone.
Confirmed tally rises to 617 / 117 as DRC reports 598 confirmed cases and 115 deaths
ECDC, CDC, DRC INSP and the Uganda Ministry of Health now put the confirmed outbreak tally at 617 cases and 117 deaths across DRC and Uganda. DRC reports 598 confirmed cases and 115 confirmed deaths as of 8 June, including 48 new confirmed cases and 14 new confirmed deaths since the previous update; Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 10 June, plus one probable death kept outside the confirmed headline. DRC confirmed cases remain concentrated in Ituri, with 563 cases across 17 health zones, while North Kivu reports 32 cases across seven zones and South Kivu reports 3 cases in one zone.
Confirmed tally rises to 569 / 103 as DRC reaches 550 confirmed cases and 101 deaths
ECDC, CDC, and national ministry dashboards now put the confirmed outbreak tally at 569 cases and 103 deaths across DRC and Uganda. DRC reports 550 confirmed cases and 101 confirmed deaths as of 7 June, including 35 new confirmed cases and 10 new confirmed deaths since the previous update; Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 9 June, plus one probable death kept outside the confirmed headline. DRC confirmed cases are concentrated in Ituri, with 518 cases across 17 health zones, while North Kivu reports 29 cases across seven zones and South Kivu reports 3 cases in one zone.
WHO DON606: confirmed tally rises to 534 / 93, with DRC at 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths
WHO Disease Outbreak News DON606 reports 534 confirmed cases and 93 confirmed deaths across DRC and Uganda as of 6 June. DRC now reports 515 confirmed cases with 91 confirmed deaths, partly reflecting expanded testing of a sample backlog; Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases with 2 confirmed deaths, plus one probable case who died and is kept outside the confirmed headline tally. DRC confirmed cases now span 25 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, with Ituri accounting for 487 confirmed cases and the highest zone counts in Bunia, Rwampara, Mongbwalu, and Nyankunde.
Evening source check: CDC confirms the 471 / 84 confirmed tally and adds Uganda probable-case caveat
CDC now corroborates the confirmed-basis figures used in the morning update: DRC 452 confirmed cases and 82 confirmed deaths as of 4 June, Uganda 19 confirmed cases and 2 confirmed deaths as of 5 June. CDC also lists one probable case and one probable death in Uganda. We keep probable figures outside the headline confirmed tally, but added the caveat to the outbreak briefing and news log so the count basis is explicit.
5 June confirmed-case figures: DRC reaches 452 confirmed cases and 82 deaths; DRC + Uganda headline tally is 471 / 84
DRC authorities reported 452 laboratory-confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola cases and 82 confirmed deaths after 71 new confirmed cases in 24 hours, a rise described by officials as active community transmission. Uganda remains at 19 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, so the headline tally is 471 confirmed cases and 84 confirmed deaths. Suspected infections are still described in press reporting as above 1,000, but the headline total now excludes unresolved suspected cases until classification catches up, keeping the site aligned with the confirmed-case reporting basis adopted after the late-May backlog revision. We also added the 5 June WHO/Africa CDC US$518 million continental response plan and AP reporting from Mongbwalu on staff exhaustion, supply constraints, community skepticism, and mining-camp transmission risk.
4 June figures: DRC confirmed rises to 381 (64 deaths), total ~516 / 66; Uganda records its second death as confirmed cases reach 19
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 4 June, mirrored by ECDC on 5 June, reports 381 laboratory-confirmed cases including 64 confirmed deaths (18 new confirmed since the previous day), with 233 people hospitalised in isolation, plus 116 suspected cases still under investigation; confirmed cases span 17 health zones in Ituri (359), Nord-Kivu (19, across seven health zones), and Sud-Kivu (3). Uganda rises to 19 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, its first additional fatality since the single death reported in mid-May, with three of the new cases reported on 5 June as contacts of confirmed cases. The combined total is around 516 cases and 66 confirmed deaths (confirmed CFR near 17 percent); recoveries hold at eight. Tedros cautioned that only about 44 percent of contacts are being traced in Ituri, well short of the roughly 90 percent needed to bring the outbreak under control.
3 June figures: DRC confirmed rises to 363 (62 deaths), total ~494 / 63; transmission reaches Mambasa and recoveries climb to eight
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 3 June, mirrored by ECDC on 4 June, reports 363 laboratory-confirmed cases including 62 confirmed deaths (19 new confirmed since the previous day), with 206 people hospitalised in isolation, plus 116 suspected cases still under investigation; confirmed cases now span 17 health zones in Ituri (341), Nord-Kivu (19, across seven health zones), and Sud-Kivu (3), with transmission reaching a new Ituri health zone, Mambasa, more than 160 kilometres south of Mongbwalu. Uganda is unchanged at 15 confirmed and 1 death. The combined total is around 494 cases and 63 confirmed deaths (confirmed CFR near 17 percent), and recoveries climb to eight (six in DRC, two in Uganda). At his 3 June media briefing WHO Director-General Tedros cited a lower 359 confirmed cases and 61 deaths across 24 health zones and stressed the response is fighting the outbreak without vaccines or therapeutics; we carry the higher, more recent national figure and document the discrepancy.
2 June figures: DRC confirmed climbs to 344 (60 deaths), total ~475 / 61 as CEPI commits US$62m to three BDBV vaccine candidates
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 2 June, mirrored by ECDC on 3 June, reports 344 laboratory-confirmed cases including 60 confirmed deaths (23 new confirmed since the previous day), plus 116 suspected cases still under investigation; confirmed cases now span 16 health zones in Ituri (322), Nord-Kivu (19, across seven health zones), and Sud-Kivu (3). Uganda is unchanged at 15 confirmed and 1 death, with local transmission predominant (eight cases in Kampala, one in Wakiso; at least seven in-country, four travel-linked). The combined total is around 475 cases and 61 confirmed deaths, lifting the confirmed case-fatality rate to near 17 percent. Recoveries hold at five against sixteen infected health workers. On the countermeasures front, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced up to US$62 million to fast-track three Bundibugyo vaccine candidates: up to US$50 million for a Moderna mRNA candidate, US$8.6 million for the Oxford ChAdOx1 BDBV candidate (with the Serum Institute of India), and US$3.2 million for the IAVI rVSV-BDBV candidate, all for preclinical work and Phase 1 trials. None is approved and all would be used only within clinical trials.
Evening update: 1 June figures put confirmed at 321 (DRC) and 15 (Uganda); total ~452 / 49 as recoveries reach five
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 1 June, mirrored by ECDC on 2 June, reports 321 laboratory-confirmed cases including 48 confirmed deaths, plus 116 suspected cases under investigation; confirmed cases span 15 health zones in Ituri (299), Nord-Kivu (19, across seven health zones), and Sud-Kivu (3). Uganda has risen to 15 confirmed cases and 1 death, with local transmission now predominant: at least seven cases are in-country and four travel-linked, and of the nine with known location eight are in Kampala and one in Wakiso district. The combined total is around 452 cases and 49 confirmed deaths (confirmed case-fatality rate near 15 percent); the confirmed count keeps rising while the suspected backlog shrinks (220 to 116) as testing catches up. The outbreak has now recorded five recoveries (four nurses discharged plus a laboratory worker cleared) against sixteen infected health workers, and WHO handed over a refurbished 24-bed Ebola Treatment Centre in Bunia (expandable to 60 beds) with an annexe of up to 42 beds planned. WHO also published Disease Outbreak News DON605.
Reporting shifts to confirmed-led: total revised to ~511 / 43 as the suspected backlog is reclassified (DRC 282 confirmed)
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 31 May, mirrored by ECDC on 1 June, reports 282 laboratory-confirmed cases including 42 confirmed deaths, plus 220 suspected cases still under investigation; confirmed cases span 14 health zones in Ituri (264), Nord-Kivu (15), and Sud-Kivu (3). Uganda is unchanged at 9 confirmed and 1 death. The combined total is now around 511 cases and 43 confirmed deaths (confirmed case-fatality rate near 15 percent), a sharp revision down from the 1,262 / 241 reported on 30 May. The drop does not reflect recoveries: it follows the reclassification of the large suspected backlog as laboratory testing catches up, with many earlier suspected cases and suspected deaths discarded as non-Ebola, and a shift by DRC authorities to confirmed-led reporting that no longer publishes a running suspected-death estimate. We have switched the headline figures to the confirmed-led basis and documented the discontinuity. WHO published a fresh Disease Outbreak News on 29 May, and Tedros completed his Bunia field visit on 30-31 May, reminding that DRC has ended all sixteen of its previous Ebola outbreaks and appealing to neighbouring countries to lift travel bans and border closures.
Confirmed cases nearly double to 225 in DRC; total back up to 1,262 / 241 as Tedros visits Bunia
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 29 May puts laboratory-confirmed cases at 225, nearly double the 121 reported two days earlier, as testing catches up with the suspected backlog. Alongside 1,028 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths in DRC, and Uganda unchanged at 9 confirmed and 1 death, the combined total rises to 1,262 cases and at least 241 deaths, up from the 1,040 recorded on 28 May. The outbreak logged its first confirmed recovery this week. WHO Director-General Tedros visited Bunia, the Ituri epicentre, on 30 May, his first field trip since the PHEIC, urging communities to lead the response; WHO cautioned the case-fatality rate could reach 30 to 50 percent. Uganda and Rwanda have both closed their borders with DRC. The United States has pledged more than US$112 million and the IGAD bloc agreed to redirect about US$7 million towards regional prevention. WHO additionally named the single-dose rVSV Bundibugyo candidate (IAVI) the most promising vaccine in development, though seven to nine months from efficacy trials, with the Oxford ChAdOx1 BDBV candidate two to three months out pending further animal data.
Counts revised down to 1,040 / 241 (DRC MoH 28 May); WHO expert consultation advises against Ervebo for Bundibugyo and prioritises MBP134, maftivimab, obeldesivir, and ChAdOx1 BDBV for trials
The DRC Ministry of Health update of 28 May puts the country at 125 laboratory-confirmed cases (17 confirmed deaths) plus 906 suspected cases (223 suspected deaths), and Uganda at 9 confirmed cases (1 death). Combined the total is 1,040 cases and 241 deaths, revised down from the 27 May peak of 1,205 / 264 after DRC authorities removed non-cases and reclassified others following investigation. Such downward revisions are routine in an active outbreak as suspected cases are ruled out, and we record the prior figure rather than overwrite it silently. Separately, a WHO expert consultation convened on 28 May concluded that Ervebo, licensed only for Zaire ebolavirus, should not be used outside carefully designed research settings for Bundibugyo because evidence of cross-protection remains limited and inconclusive. The consultation prioritised the monoclonal antibodies MBP134 and maftivimab (including in combination with remdesivir) for confirmed cases, reaffirmed obeldesivir for post-exposure prophylaxis, and advised the Oxford ChAdOx1 BDBV candidate be studied single-dose for contacts and two-dose for high-risk groups, all exclusively within clinical trials. MBP134 added as a new investigational therapeutic entry on /vaccines/investigational.
Repaired broken source citations and hardened SEO (dead-link audit)
A full internal and external link audit surfaced six broken citations and two SEO defects, now fixed. Corrected the ReliefWeb disaster-page URL (the 2026 DRC/Uganda Ebola page is ep-2026-000071-cod), repointed the WHO target-product-profile citations on /vaccines and /vaccines/investigational to the live WHO EVD vaccine TPP document, and updated the IAVI rVSV-SUDV citation to the IAVI Sudan virus vaccine programme page. Removed two news items whose URLs were unverifiable placeholders rather than real articles, in keeping with the citation-on-every-claim rule. On the SEO side: the EN/FR pages now emit reciprocal hreflang automatically (most English pages previously advertised no alternate at all, so Google discarded the annotations), both homepages now carry a proper h1, a French history-page link to the active outbreak that 404d now resolves to /fr/epidemie/2026-rdc-ouganda, and the oEmbed discovery link is only advertised on pages that are actually embeddable.
Deaths revised to at least 264; added 25 May WHO ministerial briefing context (mAb + obeldesivir trials, $3.9M release, Uganda Martyrs Day cancellation, per-zone breakdown)
Cases hold at 1,205. Deaths revised upward to at least 264 per 27 May composite estimates that aggregate the DRC MoH 26 May snapshot with additional suspected deaths reported since. The WHO Virtual Ministerial Briefing of 25 May surfaced significant context that is now incorporated: WHO will advance two monoclonal antibodies into clinical trials and evaluate the antiviral obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis jointly with Africa CDC; WHO released US$3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies; Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni cancelled the Martyrs Day commemoration, which had been expected to attract roughly two million pilgrims, to reduce mass-gathering transmission risk; and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a financial contribution to Africa CDC. Per-zone confirmed-case breakdown added: Rwampara 32 (with 621 contacts under follow-up), Bunia 24, Mongbwalu 19, Miti-Murhesa (Sud-Kivu) 1, with 2,231 contacts across the response. The Bukavu (rural) marker now also notes seven Sud-Kivu suspected cases across Miti-Murhesa, Nyantunde, Bukavu, and Shabunda territory, and the specialised treatment site at the university clinics of Bukavu. Obeldesivir added as a new investigational therapeutic entry on /vaccines/investigational.
Fixed CORS on JSON API endpoints (reported by Craig Burnett)
Seven /api/*.json endpoints had `export const prerender = true` so Astro emitted them as static files, silently dropping the access-control-allow-origin header set in each GET handler. Cross-origin browser fetches were blocked despite the API being documented as CORS-open. Removed the prerender directive from those 7 routes so the GET handler Response is honored end-to-end. The generatedAt timestamp on each response is now live per request rather than stuck at build time.
Bumped counts to 1,205 / 256 per DRC MoH 26 May; Oxford ChAdOx1 BDBV announcement and Tedros ceasefire appeal added
DRC Ministry of Health update of 26 May reports 121 laboratory-confirmed cases (17 confirmed deaths) plus 1,077 suspected cases (238 suspected deaths) across 15 health zones in Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu, combined 1,198 cases and 255 deaths. Uganda figures unchanged at 7 confirmed and 1 death. On 27 May, Tedros warned the outbreak is colliding with active conflict (ADF, CODECO, M23) and severe food insecurity (roughly 10 million people facing acute hunger in the affected regions), appealing for an immediate ceasefire to enable humanitarian access. The Oxford Vaccine Group announced on 22 May that it is working with the Serum Institute of India to rapidly produce and scale doses of its monovalent ChAdOx1 BDBV candidate, with trial doses estimated 2-3 months out; an rVSV-based BDBV candidate is also in the pipeline at 6-9 months. Two new investigational vaccine entries (ChAdOx1 BDBV, rVSV-BDBV) added to /vaccines/investigational. The outbreak page Counts paragraph was rewritten with the new DRC figures and the conflict/vaccine context, and the notable text in outbreaks.ts was extended accordingly.
Refined counts to 1,018 / 234 per DRC MoH 25 May data; Italy false alarm in Milan ruled out by lab testing
Per the DRC Ministry of Health update of 25 May (mirrored by ECDC on 26 May), DRC has 105 laboratory-confirmed cases with 10 confirmed deaths plus 906 suspected cases with 223 suspected deaths (combined 1,011 cases, 233 deaths). Uganda figures unchanged at 7 confirmed and 1 death. The previous WHO-vs-CDC source noise (220 vs 119 suspected deaths) has settled at the higher figure now corroborated by DRC MoH itself. The outbreak page Counts paragraph rewritten to reflect the refined DRC figures and to add the Italy false alarm: two humanitarian aid workers returning from Uganda were hospitalised in isolation in Milan on 25 May with symptoms compatible with viral haemorrhagic fever; laboratory testing ruled out Ebola disease, and both the Italian Health Ministry and ECDC assess EU/EEA risk as very low.
Outbreak crosses 1,000 cases: 1,012 / 221 with local transmission in Uganda and a second hospital attack in Ituri
DRC reports 101 laboratory-confirmed cases plus 904 suspected (1,005 total) and roughly 220 suspected deaths across 15 health zones in Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu, per the US CDC update of 24 May and WHO Monday briefing of 25 May. Uganda jumps from 2 to 7 confirmed cases, with documented local transmission in Kampala for the first time: a driver who transported the index patient, a health worker who cared for that patient, and a Congolese woman who passed through Entebbe and Kampala before returning to DRC. Africa CDC head Jean Kaseya named 10 at-risk neighbouring countries (Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia). A second security incident on 24 May saw a group of young men storm Mongbwalu General Hospital, forcing staff to evacuate Ebola patients under gunfire after attackers demanded the bodies of two relatives. DRC is now opening three Ebola treatment centres in the east, more than a week after the outbreak was declared; Health Minister Roger Kamba is calling for additional funding and citing US aid cuts as complicating the response. The outbreak page Geography and Counts paragraphs and the Kampala map marker were rewritten to reflect local transmission and the 7-case Uganda total. Source noise: the WHO Monday "220 suspected deaths" and CDC "10 confirmed + 119 suspected" do not reconcile; we use the higher WHO figure as more recent.
Refined counts to 831 / 186 per WHO DON603; added Sud-Kivu spread and IHR Emergency Committee Temporary Recommendations
WHO Disease Outbreak News (DON603) of 21 May reports 83 laboratory-confirmed cases in DRC with 9 confirmed deaths (confirmed CFR 11 percent) plus 746 suspected cases and 176 suspected deaths across 15 health zones in Ituri, Nord-Kivu, AND Sud-Kivu provinces. The first Sud-Kivu confirmed case was a death in a rural area near Bukavu in a patient who had travelled from Kisangani in Tshopo Province (where alerts remain under investigation). Three Ituri zones (Mongbwalu, Rwampara, Bunia) hold roughly 96 percent of suspected cases and 79 percent of confirmed cases. Uganda figures unchanged at 2 confirmed and 1 death, giving a combined total of 831 cases and 186 deaths. The IHR Emergency Committee met on 19 May and WHO published the formal Temporary Recommendations on 22 May, covering surveillance, IPC, safe burials, points of entry, and accelerated R&D for medical countermeasures; flight suspensions and traveller denial were not recommended. The outbreak record adds Bukavu (rural) as a sixth named location.
Bumped case + death counts to 834 / 185 after WHO Member State session; risk upgraded to VERY HIGH at national level
The WHO Director-General Member State information session on 22 May reported 82 laboratory-confirmed cases in DRC (60 in Ituri, 4 in Nord-Kivu, balance under investigation) with 7 confirmed deaths, plus roughly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths across 11 health zones. Uganda figures unchanged at 2 confirmed and 1 death. WHO upgraded the national risk assessment from HIGH to VERY HIGH; regional remains HIGH, global LOW. A US high-risk contact is now under observation in Czech Republic in addition to the US national and six contacts already in Germany. A 21 May security incident in Ituri destroyed medical tents and supplies; contact tracing in Bunia remains low. Tedros said the epidemic in DRC is much larger than confirmed figures suggest. The outbreak page Counts and Geography paragraphs were rewritten to reflect the upgraded risk level, the Czech contact, and the security incident.
Added Gavi 21 May statement; corrected Africa CDC designation to PHECS; clarified pre-existing Ervebo coverage in Ituri and Nord-Kivu
Added two curated primary-source news entries: the WHO Director-General media briefing of 20 May and the Gavi statement of 21 May. The Gavi statement confirms no vaccine is being deployed for the current Bundibugyo outbreak and notes that roughly 55,000 frontline workers in Ituri and Nord-Kivu had received Ervebo through earlier preventive campaigns against Zaire ebolavirus; the cross-protective benefit against Bundibugyo is currently unknown. Corrected the Africa CDC emergency designation in the outbreak record from informal "continental emergency" to its formal name, Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), declared on 18 May 2026. Case and death counts unchanged at 653 / 140 pending the next sitrep.
Bumped case + death counts to 653 / 140 after WHO DG briefing reports spread to Nord-Kivu (Goma) and 11 health zones
The WHO Director-General media briefing on 20 May reported 51 laboratory-confirmed cases in DRC including in Nord-Kivu Province (Goma), with nearly 600 additional suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths across 11 health zones. Uganda figures unchanged at 2 confirmed and 1 death, giving a combined total of 653 cases and 140 deaths. The outbreak page Geography and Counts paragraphs were rewritten to reflect spread into Nord-Kivu, the medical evacuation of one US national plus six high-risk contacts to Germany, the WHO risk assessment (high national/regional, low global), the Africa CDC continental-emergency designation, and the WHO technical advisory group review of Ervebo expanded access (Merck product is licensed only for Zaire ebolavirus; pre-clinical cross-reactivity data exist for Bundibugyo; any deployment would require formal request from DRC and Uganda and roughly two months to arrive). Goma added as a fifth named location on the map.
Bumped case + death counts to 545 / 132 after DRC MoH briefing reports nine-zone spread
DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba reported 131 deaths from 513 suspected cases on 19 May. WHO Director-General Tedros separately confirmed 30 of those cases as laboratory-confirmed in DRC. Uganda figures unchanged at 2 confirmed and 1 death, giving a combined total of 545 cases and 132 deaths. The outbreak now spans nine Ituri health zones (up from three on 15 May) with suspected case clusters extending roughly 200 km from Bunia. Kamba cautioned the 131 deaths remain an estimate pending laboratory confirmation that all suspected deaths are Ebola-attributable. WHO has convened a follow-up IHR Emergency Committee meeting to consider vaccine options.
Bumped case + death counts to 348 / 89, added regional coordination context
DRC: 10 confirmed plus 336 suspected = 346 cases, 88 deaths. Uganda: 2 confirmed, 1 death. Per-zone attribution updated: Bunia 184 cases / 43 deaths, Rwampara 87 / 26, Mongbwalu 75 / 19. Outbreak record now notes Africa CDC has activated a regional Incident Management Support Team covering DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, and that the US CDC is supporting evacuation of a small number of US citizens.
Added 7 curated news entries: US CDC mobilisation, Africa CDC IMST activation, Reuters, Washington Post, BBC, The Times, UN News
Hand-curated entries supplement the auto-ingested news feed for the highest-value 18 May sources. Primary-source entries get tier=primary for SEO and editorial weight.
Launched interactive outbreak map and embeddable widgets
Added the /map page with MapLibre + OpenFreeMap tiles and case-weighted symbols. Added /embed widgets (case counter, vaccine matrix, map) for newsroom and dashboard use. No third-party trackers; CC BY 4.0.
Data
Updated case + death counts for the 2026 PHEIC
Case count revised to 336 (from 254 on 15 May). Death count revised to 87 (from 80). Cross-checked against the WHO PHEIC press release and the WHO DON for 17 May 2026.
Added "the answer" blocks to vaccines, treatments, and bundibugyo pages
Rewrote the top of each page as a self-contained 150-word answer with inline source links, optimised for AI Overview and featured snippet extraction. No claim was added that was not previously somewhere on the page.
Added news timeline (/news) with curated source citations
Created a curated timeline of coverage from WHO, Africa CDC, STAT, Science, CBS, PBS, Al Jazeera, France 24, Imperial College, Direct Relief. Each entry is a 1-2 sentence summary in our own words with a direct link.
