Voice of Urdu – International News in English & Urdu

DRC Ebola outbreak hits 1,307 cases, 377 deaths

Editorial Team

Health officials trace contacts as suspected spread reaches Haut-Uele province

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said late Monday that the DRC Ebola outbreak has reached 1,307 confirmed cases, including 377 deaths, with infections recorded in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

The updated figures underscore the scale of the country’s latest Ebola outbreak and the strain on health services in conflict-affected areas, where response teams have reported security incidents, community mistrust and shortages of essential equipment. For broader context on recurring risks, see Ebola Virus: Why Outbreaks Still Alarm Health Officials.

Key developments

The DRC reported 1,307 confirmed Ebola cases, including 377 deaths, in an update issued late Monday.
Authorities said confirmed cases have been recorded in three provinces: Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
Voice of Urdu reported that a case was detected in a fourth province, Haut-Uele, citing a source at the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB).
According to the same reporting, the case in Haut-Uele was detected after an infected person travelled from Bunia, the capital of Ituri, to Haut-Uele, and the person later died.
Authorities are trying to trace the chain of transmission and identify contacts linked to the reported Haut-Uele case.
The government issued a ban on public gatherings in four provinces, including the capital Kinshasa, as it continues to battle the spread of the outbreak.

Context and background

Ituri, a conflict-hit province in the country’s northeast, is the epicentre of the DRC Ebola outbreak, described as the country’s 17th, which began in May.

The reported spread to Haut-Uele would mean the DRC’s entire northeast—home to about 15 million people—is affected. Haut-Uele borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Separately, the DRC has faced other infectious-disease threats in recent years, including mpox. Read more here: What are the locations and reasons behind the spread of mpox disease in the DRC?

Details and evidence

Health officials and aid workers have linked many infections to funeral practices, where the bodies of Ebola victims can be highly infectious and are sometimes handled by mourners. Funerals in the DRC often last several days, during which family members and friends may touch the body of the deceased.

Reporting from a treatment centre in Rwampara, Ituri province, Voice of Urdu quoted Al Jazeera’s Catherine Wambua-Soi as saying health workers often lack sufficient equipment and that treatment centres have faced repeated attacks. She said that last month, tents at the centre were set on fire by an angry mob.

Wambua-Soi said response teams need additional supplies, including protective gear, medicines, rapid test kits and body bags.

Current status and next steps

Authorities are continuing contact tracing efforts linked to the reported case in Haut-Uele and monitoring the outbreak in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

The public gatherings ban announced Saturday remains in place in four provinces, including Kinshasa. The order was issued ahead of a planned July 8 protest in Kinshasa against constitutional reform, and opposition figures have described the ban as politically motivated.