DR Congo's Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones, WHO says
WHO says the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has reached two more health zones in DR Congo, with 63 now affected across seven provinces
The World Health Organization has said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to two more health zones, taking the total number affected to 63 across seven provinces, according to Al Jazeera.
New cases were reported in Bulu in South Ubangi province and Dungu in Haut-Uele, which borders South Sudan, the WHO said on Friday. Reuters independently confirmed both new zones and the revised total.
As of 23 September, the country had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths from the Bundibugyo strain, according to the WHO.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said conflict and population displacement were making it harder for health workers to reach affected communities and trace people who may have been exposed to the virus.
“It’s very difficult to see Ebola in isolation because even our response to Ebola is affected by the conflict, because there is displacement and there is an access problem to some areas,” he said.
The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccines, and the WHO said it was accelerating clinical trials of vaccines and treatments.
Dr Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said contact tracing was falling well short: more than 7,000 confirmed cases should translate to about 420,000 contacts, yet only around 30,000 people are on the contact list.
Sources
- Al Jazeera, “DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones, WHO says” (25 September 2026): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/25/dr-congos-ebola-outbreak-spreads-to-two-new-health-zones-who-says
- Reuters, “WHO says Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones” (25 September 2026): https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-says-congo-ebola-outbreak-spreads-two-new-health-zones-2026-09-25/
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