Suspected Ebola cases reported in rebel-held Congo area
Suspected cases of Ebola have emerged in a rebel-controlled area of South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency, with significant fatalities and suspected cases reported in the region. The M23 rebel group has pledged to cooperate with international partners to manage the outbreak amidst ongoing violence and resource shortages.
- ▪Two suspected Ebola cases have been reported in South Kivu, with one patient deceased and another in isolation awaiting test results.
- ▪The outbreak has been linked to 139 deaths and 600 suspected cases in Ituri and North Kivu provinces as of Wednesday.
- ▪The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, as there is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain.
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Suspected Ebola cases reported in rebel-held Congo areaSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxA health worker takes the temperature of an M23 rebel outside the laboratory where samples from suspected Ebola cases are examined, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 19. REUTERS/Arlette BashiziPublished May 21, 2026, 05:59 PMUpdated May 21, 2026, 05:59 PMKINSHASA, May 21 - Suspected cases of Ebola have been reported in a rebel-held part of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province, hundreds of kilometres from the outbreak's epicentre, local officials said on Thursday.If confirmed, cases in South Kivu would signal a worrying expansion of an outbreak that experts believe circulated for around two months in Ituri province - several hundred kilometres to…
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