An outbreak of the Ebola virus disease has been confirmed in the province of Ituri, as reported on Friday by the Africa CDC. The virus has been confirmed in 13 out of 20 samples tested in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. The agency specified that “four deaths have been reported among the laboratory-confirmed cases.” Suspected cases have also been observed in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and are “awaiting confirmation.”
15,000 deaths in Africa
The Ebola virus remains often fatal despite recent vaccines and treatments. This highly contagious hemorrhagic fever has caused 15,000 deaths in Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC, occurring between 2018 and 2020, resulted in over 2,300 deaths out of 3,500 cases. The current epidemic is the 17th in the DRC since the disease was first identified in 1976 in Zaire, the country’s former name in Central Africa. The latest epidemic, declared in August 2025 in the country’s center, resulted in at least 34 deaths before being declared eradicated in December.
The AU health agency stated that they are closely monitoring the situation and convened “an urgent high-level coordination meeting with the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and international partners on Friday to strengthen cross-border surveillance, preparedness, and epidemic control efforts.”
