Image: from Metro Times Nigeria X @metrotimesngr
By Open Chronicle with agencies
A new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has killed at least 65 people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, prompting Africa’s top public health agency to issue an alert and intensify regional response efforts.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the outbreak is centered in the eastern province of Ituri, particularly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara, where hundreds of suspected infections have already been reported.
Confirmed:
Ebola has been confirmed in the Ituli Province of DRC according to @AfricaCDC
The latest updates indicate about 246 suspected cases, and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones.
Four deaths have been reported among… pic.twitter.com/5av3dErwuw
— Purpose Health Care Africa (@PHCAfric) May 15, 2026
According to the agency, around 246 cases have been identified so far, with laboratory testing confirming Ebola infections in several patients. Preliminary analyses conducted by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa detected the virus in 13 out of 20 tested samples.
Officials said four of the reported deaths occurred among laboratory-confirmed cases, while additional suspected infections remain under investigation, including in the provincial capital, Bunia.
The outbreak has raised fears of wider regional transmission, especially given the movement of people across borders in eastern Congo. CDC Africa said it is coordinating emergency discussions with neighboring countries, including Uganda and South Sudan, alongside international health partners, to strengthen surveillance and response mechanisms.
Ebola is a highly dangerous viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected individuals. Symptoms often begin with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches before progressing to severe bleeding, organ failure, and, in many cases, death.
The virus was first identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo and is believed to have originated in bats. This latest outbreak marks the country’s 17th recorded Ebola epidemic.
Although vaccines and treatments have improved survival rates in recent years, there is still no definitive cure for the disease.
The Congolese government had not formally declared a national outbreak as of Friday afternoon, though officials indicated a public announcement was expected later in the day.
The health emergency comes as Ituri continues to face chronic insecurity linked to armed groups operating across the region. Since 2021, the province has remained under military administration following escalating violence involving numerous militias, including the Allied Democratic Forces, a group linked to the so-called Islamic State.
Health experts warn that ongoing conflict and population displacement could complicate efforts to contain the virus and deliver medical assistance to affected communities.
Over the past five decades, Ebola outbreaks across Africa have killed approximately 50,000 people. Congo’s deadliest epidemic occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people lost their lives.
Last year, another Ebola outbreak in the country’s central Kasai province claimed 45 lives.