As of 27 May 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health has reported 121 confirmed cases including 17 confirmed deaths. Another 1,077 suspected cases including 238 suspected deaths are being tracked across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. WHO and other international health authorities note that the true number of infections is likely considerably higher than reported suspected cases.
Additional threats are being mentioned, including the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Bunia, whose inhabitants are refugees from armed conflict.
There is one handwashing station and one infrared thermometer to serve a camp of 10,000 displaced people in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Camp leaders say they tell residents to wash their hands before eating — with soap for the lucky ones who have it. For the rest, the advice is to use ash or sand. "My fear is that we are here with nothing to protect ourselves. We have no protection, no water or soap, and we live near garbage," said Francine Leve-Janguzi, a resident of the so-called ISP camp, speaking to The Associated Press, as she opened an empty tap in a sea of tarpaulin roofs.
The sanitation situation is equally grim outside the camp. According to Radio Okapi, the population of Beni, in North Kivu, is facing a shortage of drinking water, with some neighborhoods receiving no tap water for months while others receive water only once or twice a week. This crisis is hampering efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak which was declared in the DRC on 15 May 2026. This is a major challenge, given that the Beni region is experiencing significant population movement between it and the neighboring province of Ituri, the epicenter of the current Ebola epidemic.
Uganda has reported seven confirmed cases and one death — three linked to travel from DRC. Uganda closed its border with DRC on Wednesday, 27 May, for at least four weeks.
Read more on radiookapi.net
Feature photo caption: A USAMRIID scientist works in a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). (Photo courtesy of USAMRIID)
May 29, 2026. The U.S. announced that it will be contributing $80 million to support the Congo’s response to the Ebola outbreak, according to Radio Okapi, the Congo’s largest independent radio station. This will be used for
the procurement and distribution of protective equipment for healthcare workers, in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Food Programme border health screening, with support from the International Organization for Migration epidemiological surveillance public awareness campaigns.
Radio Okapi has noted that in spite of the epidemic, it is business-as-usual and very few precautions have been taken this past week in the affected Congolese provinces:
Several churches and schools are ignoring preventive measures against Ebola, despite repeated calls from political authorities for vigilance. This Sunday, May 24, many churches welcomed worshippers in a business-as-usual atmosphere, without social distancing. In several places of worship, the halls were packed, making it difficult to follow preventive guidelines. Another observation: in front of several churches, no handwashing stations were available, contrary to health recommendations. In some elementary schools offering free education, classes have between 60 and 70 students, making it practically impossible to maintain any distance between students. With just a few days left in the school year, many parents are expressing concern about a possible worsening of health risks. Some officials approached declined to comment on this failure to comply with measures, which was also observed in several neighborhoods of Beni, particularly in schools. Radio Okapi was unable to obtain a response from officials in the national education sector in Beni. Read more on radiookapi.net: Ebola: The Bishop of the Diocese of Butembo-Beni Calls for Compliance with Preventive Measures Schools and Health Centers in Butembo Strengthen Ebola Prevention Measures Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Merchants discuss effects of border closure on their local economy
Earlier this week, Rwanda further tightened its border controls following a confirmed case reported in Goma.
The sales have taken a huge hit," said Dieumerci Shabani, a street vendor selling eggs near the Grande Barriere. Before the closure, he could sell five trays of eggs daily, while now he struggles to sell two. "It is mainly because of the critical socio-economic situation caused by the closure of the borders," Shabani said. "Most of our customers are travelers and cross-border traders.
Discussion of economic impact to the local community can be found here.
What does it feel like to have Ebola? A survivor recalls his ordeal
Senga Omeonga, a Congolese physician, survived Ebola. Nine of his co-workers did not.
In July 2014 as Ebola was exploding in Liberia, Senga Omeonga worked as a doctor at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia. Among the patients he cared for was the hospital’s director, who had diarrhea and was vomiting repeatedly but tested negative for the Ebola virus.
I was exposed to that patient day by day," says Omeonga, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When the director didn't respond to treatment, a second test was done which came back positive — ten days after his first test.
Patrick Nshamdze was what Dr. Omeonga calls a “wet case” of Ebola. Wet signs and symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea as well as unexplained hemorrhaging. This follows the earlier “dry stage” of Ebola, punctuated by fever, aches, and pains and some disorientation. As the wet stage advances, body secretions — as much as ten liters of diarrhea and vomit in a day — are saturated with the virus, and the patient is extremely infectious.
A deadly viral hemorrhagic disease such as Ebola brings out the worst in people. What people say and do under its shadow can be difficult to comprehend. Some in the early stages of Ebola who have the means to leave the country will lie about their illness.
"A lot of them were lying when they came to the hospital. They didn't even tell you they were having fevers. They'd say they fell down, or were on a motorbike, or someone pushed them, or they went to work and passed out." He was one of 15 who became infected at his hospital, presumably all by the ailing director. Nine of them died. The hospital closed. I started feeling the symptoms on the second of August, a Saturday: high fever, vomiting, and weakness. I didn't have diarrhea. It went on for five days before they could collect a specimen. At that time, the country had only one Ebola treatment unit (ETU) at the ELWA 2 hospital. They were really overwhelmed, and it was really difficult to find a space — even for me as a doctor. It was on the following Friday that they collected the specimen, and on Saturday I learned I was positive, and was taken to the ETU at ELWA 2.
During the week before his transfer to the ETU, he was sent home to recover.
The house was just behind the hospital. This was fortunate: I had access to medication, and nurses and people from the pharmacy helped me. I had oral rehydration salts and medication to stop the vomiting. Day by day, the weakness was getting worse. In the first three days, I was able to manage, but after that, I needed help.
When he was transferred to the ETU, he could still walk — but he believed he was going to die.
The only thing coming was my death. I spoke with my wife and kids and we talked and talked and talked. They were very concerned. They were praying for me and encouraging me. It was a very big support. I was praying myself, having positive thoughts, and telling myself that even if there was only a 10% chance of recovery, I wanted to be among the 10%.
Because he was a physician, he was given ZMapp — which even today is considered experimental. It consists of a cocktail of three monoclonal antibodies and is extremely potent.
Dr. Omeonga went on to make a full, if slow, recovery.
Quotes taken from the New York Times and ScienceDirect.
