africa health crisis – The Milli Chronicle https://millichronicle.com Factual Version of a Story Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:01:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://media.millichronicle.com/2018/11/12122950/logo-m-01-150x150.png africa health crisis – The Milli Chronicle https://millichronicle.com 32 32 WHO Warns Congo Ebola Outbreak May Be Wider Than Known https://millichronicle.com/2026/06/68770.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:01:50 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=68770 Nairobi-The World Health Organization warned on Friday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be spreading beyond official estimates due to gaps in disease monitoring, as health authorities reported cases expanding to additional areas.

Congo said on Thursday that Ebola had reached three new health zones, bringing the outbreak total to 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths. The outbreak has also crossed into neighboring Uganda.

“There are still many blind spots in some areas that are high risk,” Olivier le Polain, a WHO epidemiologist based in Beni, eastern Congo, said.

Le Polain said surveillance systems needed to be strengthened in affected regions, adding that a shortage of isolation beds remained a major challenge. Only 250 beds were available across the three affected provinces, he said.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. Health workers said the disease went undetected for weeks, leaving responders struggling to contain its spread.

The WHO has not yet issued projections on the possible scale of the outbreak, Le Polain said.

The warning came after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak could potentially reach levels comparable to the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.

Health officials said efforts to control the current outbreak are being complicated by limited medical resources and challenges in identifying cases early.

]]> Rare Ebola Strain Triggers Alarm Across Eastern Congo https://millichronicle.com/2026/05/67467.html Thu, 21 May 2026 06:08:36 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=67467 Bunia-A fast-spreading outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has intensified fears in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with health workers warning of severe shortages of protective equipment, isolation wards and trained staff as cases rise rapidly.

The World Health Organization said the outbreak has caused 139 suspected deaths and nearly 600 suspected infections in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, while confirmed cases have also emerged in neighboring Uganda. WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern due to the risk of regional spread.


Officials said the virus likely circulated undetected for weeks because initial testing focused on more common Ebola strains. No approved vaccine currently exists for the Bundibugyo variant, with WHO estimating any targeted vaccine could take six to nine months to develop.

The outbreak is unfolding in conflict-hit areas of eastern Congo, where insecurity, population displacement and weak health infrastructure are complicating containment efforts.

]]>