South Africa
A nurse died in Bunia on April 24. For three weeks, no one knew why.
By the time the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed an Ebola outbreak on May 15, the Bundibugyo virus had already spread across 15 health zones in Ituri Province. It has since reached North Kivu, South Kivu, and Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17 , the first time a WHO chief has done so before consulting an emergency committee.
The toll so far: 321 confirmed cases and 48 confirmed deaths in DRC, with 116 suspected cases under investigation. Uganda has 15 confirmed cases and one death. WHO says more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths have been reported in DRC.
Unlike past outbreaks, there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain. “There are no pharmaceutical tools that can prevent or treat this type of Ebola,” Doctors Without Borders warned last week.
On the ground in Bunia, the epicenter, the situation is grim .“Every day, people are dying,” said one resident. “In a single day, we bury two, three, or even more people”. Locals report that “nowhere to isolate the sick. They are dying at home and their bodies are being handled by their family members” — the exact conditions that accelerate transmission.
DRC Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said the Bundibugyo strain’s fatality rate “can reach 50%”. The country has faced Ebola 16 times before. This is its 17th outbreak.
Cross-border spread confirmed. Uganda reported 8 of its 9 early cases in Kampala. President Yoweri Museveni canceled Martyrs’ Day celebrations, which draw 2 million people, to prevent mass exposure. An American aid worker infected in DRC was medically evacuated to Germany.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak was declared a PHEIC “in view of the need for urgent action”. WHO assesses the risk as “very high” at the national level, “high” regionally, and “low” globally.
South Africa steps in. President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged an initial $5 million contribution to Africa CDC to support the continental response. Addressing African health ministers, Ramaphosa warned that “weak border controls and intense cross-border movement are hampering efforts to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak”. The funds will support surveillance, laboratory systems, rapid response deployment, and cross-border preparedness.
South Africa’s $5 million — equivalent to R41.2 million — is part of a $319 million continental preparedness and response plan for June to November 2026. “Africa is no longer waiting passively for others to act,” Ramaphosa said. Scientists from Stellenbosch University have also mobilized, with Professor Jean B. Nachega serving on the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group advising on the response.
Why experts are alarmed: The outbreak is in a “remote and densely populated area, combined with insecurity and high population and trade movements”. CDC’s incident manager said the outbreak has affected at least 9 health zones in DRC. MSF cited three concerns: no vaccine, the challenging geography, and a “trust deficit” in community response.
“Community ownership is what will bring this outbreak to an end,” Tedros said. For now, response teams rely on surveillance, contact tracing, safe burials, and isolation — the same tools used in 1976.
What are your thoughts on the current Ebola outbreak? Do you think that the world is in for another lockdown?
