Ebola outbreak expands in eastern Congo as contact tracing deteriorates amid attacks on burial teams
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is expanding, with the Bundibugyo virus causing significant challenges for health officials. Contact tracing efforts have deteriorated, with less than 40 percent of known contacts being tracked in the hardest-hit province. Community resistance and attacks on burial teams are further complicating containment efforts.
- ▪The outbreak has reached a health zone over 160km from its point of origin in Mongbwalu.
- ▪Health officials are only monitoring 39.3 percent of identified contacts in Ituri province, which has 94 percent of confirmed infections.
- ▪Congo has recorded 344 confirmed infections and 60 confirmed Ebola deaths, with a recent rise in the death toll due to delays in treatment and community deaths.
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Ebola outbreak expands in eastern Congo as contact tracing deteriorates amid attacks on burial teamsSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxThe outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, has become one of the most complex Ebola epidemics in recent years.PHOTO: AFPPublished Jun 03, 2026, 11:22 AMUpdated Jun 03, 2026, 11:22 AMEbola has reached a health zone more than 160km from the mining town where Democratic Republic of Congo’s outbreak is believed to have begun, as responders track fewer than 40 per cent of known contacts in the epidemic’s hardest-hit province.Health officials in Ituri province, which accounts for almost 94 per cent of confirmed infections, were actively monitoring only 39.3 per cent of identified contacts, the country’s National Institute of Public…
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