The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has raised alarm over the rapidly worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), urging governments, international partners, and health agencies to intensify efforts to contain the virus.
The continental public health agency warned that without swift and coordinated intervention, the outbreak could become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, posing a serious threat to public health across Central and East Africa.
The first major DR Congo Ebola outbreak in 2026 was declared on May 15. Since then, the virus has spread quickly to several provinces, raising concerns that it could also spread to neighboring Uganda.
As the outbreak grew, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, calling for stronger global action to help stop the disease.
As of Tuesday, there have been more than 2,423 confirmed cases and 967 deaths with
39.9% fatality rate and the contact tracing rate at 81.1%.
The Director-General of the regional health body, Jean Kaseya said, “This outbreak is escalating quickly. We need to act now. If we don’t stop it today, it will be the worst ever recorded.” He emphasized that this is not the time to hesitate and called for governments, donors, and health partners to mobilize resources, strengthen on-the-ground response efforts, and prevent further loss of life.
Kaseya reminded everyone that behind every statistic is a person, a family, and a community affected by the disease. The virus has spread to five provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo.
Ituri is the center of the outbreak caused by the Bundibuyo virus strain, with ongoing transmission
Beyond the immediate affected region, Canada and the Bahamas said they would temporarily ban residents of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan from entering.
Residents from those countries will be unable to travel to Canada for 90 days from Wednesday, the government said. Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks must quarantine for 21 days from May 30, even if they do not show symptoms, Canada’s public health agency said.
The Bahamian government said entry restrictions would take immediate effect and remain in place for a period of 30 days, subject to review by the Caribbean country’s health ministry.
The United States also banned all non-citizens who had travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days from entering the country.
