The latest figures marked an increase from 933 confirmed cases and 245 deaths reported a day earlier, according to government data.

Growing concern has centered on Kigonze camp in Bunia, the epicenter of the outbreak, where at least 30 people have died since early May. Camp officials and humanitarian workers said the death rate was unprecedented and raised fears that Ebola may be spreading rapidly among displaced populations living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

Kigonze hosts more than 15,000 residents and is located in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country’s confirmed Ebola infections. Eastern Congo is home to more than five million displaced people, many of whom have fled years of armed conflict and insecurity.

Camp spokesperson Desire Grodya Bapi told Reuters that such a concentration of deaths had never previously been recorded at the site, which normally reports only a handful of deaths each month. Residents and aid workers described victims suffering symptoms commonly associated with Ebola, including fever, headaches and vomiting.

Health officials faced additional challenges because many families initially refused testing of both living patients and deceased relatives. Aid workers said resistance to medical intervention delayed efforts to determine the exact causes of death and complicated disease surveillance.

According to camp officials and humanitarian sources, samples collected from several victims tested positive for Ebola. Footage verified by Reuters showed health teams wearing protective suits disinfecting bodies and preparing coffins while grieving relatives gathered nearby.

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, although officials said infections and deaths had begun earlier in the month.

Humanitarian organizations warned that deteriorating sanitation infrastructure and funding shortfalls may be contributing to the outbreak’s severity. Several aid agencies said reductions in international support for water, sanitation and hygiene programs have left vulnerable communities more exposed to infectious diseases.

United Nations data indicate that funding for water and sanitation services in Congo fell sharply between 2024 and 2025, while this year’s humanitarian appeal remains significantly underfunded. Aid groups said projects providing clean water access, handwashing facilities and public toilets have been scaled back or discontinued in several Ebola-affected regions.

Conditions inside Kigonze camp remain particularly challenging. Families often share cramped shelters, sanitation facilities are insufficient, and overflowing latrines have become a persistent problem, according to camp representatives and aid workers.

Humanitarian agencies noted that the United States has historically been one of the largest contributors to water and sanitation programs in Congo. However, several organizations reported that U.S.-funded projects serving displaced populations in Ebola-affected provinces have been reduced following recent funding cuts.

The worsening outbreak has heightened concerns among health officials that delayed testing, population displacement and inadequate sanitation could accelerate transmission in one of the world’s most vulnerable humanitarian settings.

Uganda’s Health Ministry said the country’s response to the outbreak had been effective, with two deaths recorded among 19 confirmed cases since the alert was raised after cases emerged in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May.

“While we appreciate the need for vigilance, blanket restrictions undermine confidence in countries that report outbreaks openly, and are not commensurate with the actual risk,” Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at Uganda’s Health Ministry, said.

The restrictions were imposed by countries including the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates on travelers from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring South Sudan.

Most of Uganda’s confirmed cases involved Congolese nationals who crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 676 cases have been reported and 136 deaths recorded since May 15.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Uganda’s response during a visit to the country, while the UN health agency warned that the outbreak in Congo was spreading to new areas.

The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a form for which there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment. The virus spreads through close contact with infected bodily fluids and has caused thousands of deaths across Africa over recent decades.

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.

Health authorities reported 550 confirmed cases as of Sunday, including 101 deaths and 19 recoveries, according to the latest situation update released late Monday. The outbreak was officially declared on May 15.

The vast majority of infections have been recorded in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of confirmed cases. Additional cases have been identified in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, while the virus has also crossed into neighboring Uganda.

Officials believe the true number of infections may be higher because the outbreak was detected weeks after transmission had already begun. Response efforts have been further complicated by the absence of an approved vaccine or treatment for the strain responsible for the current outbreak.

The outbreak has been linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, for which no approved vaccine or therapeutic treatment currently exists. This differs from the Zaire strain, which was responsible for most of Congo’s previous Ebola outbreaks and for which vaccines and treatments have been developed.

Authorities said the sharp increase in confirmed infections partly reflects expanded diagnostic capacity, which has enabled laboratories to process a backlog of previously collected samples.

Health workers operating in affected areas continue to face significant obstacles. Medical teams have been attacked on multiple occasions by residents frustrated by the outbreak response, while persistent skepticism among some communities has complicated surveillance and containment efforts.

Security concerns remain a major challenge across eastern Congo, where numerous armed groups continue to operate. Ongoing violence has limited access to several affected communities and disrupted disease-monitoring activities.

The World Health Organization said Monday that insecurity is restricting access for response teams, hindering surveillance operations and increasing the risk that new chains of transmission could go undetected.

The agency said the attacks on health personnel underscore the difficulties of responding to a public health emergency in conflict-affected areas and highlighted the importance of cooperation with local leaders and communities.

Eastern Congo has experienced repeated outbreaks of Ebola over the past decade, but health officials warn that the combination of armed conflict, delayed detection and the lack of approved medical countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain presents a particularly complex challenge for containment efforts.

Nearly 600 children with suspected or confirmed measles have died since March, while hospitals across the country are struggling to cope with hundreds of new admissions each day. Medical facilities remain under severe pressure as doctors attempt to isolate infected patients and prevent further transmission.

Health experts fear large-scale population movement during the Eid holidays could accelerate the spread of the highly contagious disease, particularly in rural areas with limited access to healthcare services.

The outbreak has overwhelmed pediatric wards in several hospitals, prompting renewed calls for expanded vaccination efforts and stronger public health measures to contain the crisis.

The newly identified cases include a Ugandan driver who transported the country’s first confirmed Ebola patient and a healthcare worker who was exposed to the virus while caring for the same individual, the ministry said in a statement.

A Congolese woman was also confirmed to have contracted the disease, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed infections to five.

Health authorities did not immediately provide additional details on the conditions of the patients or whether further contacts were being monitored. The latest infections underscore the risks faced by frontline medical personnel and individuals who come into close contact with infected patients during outbreak investigations.

Uganda has previously experienced several Ebola outbreaks and has developed response mechanisms that include contact tracing, patient isolation and public health surveillance aimed at limiting transmission.

The confirmation of additional cases is likely to heighten monitoring efforts by health officials as they seek to prevent wider community spread and identify potential chains of transmission linked to the initial patient.

Ebola is a severe viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. Outbreaks require rapid detection and containment measures to prevent further spread.

The attack occurred in Rwampara, near the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri Province, where local youths stormed and burned parts of a treatment facility after a man believed to have died from Ebola was denied a traditional funeral, according to witnesses and police officials.

Authorities said the confrontation stemmed from public resistance to emergency burial protocols designed to prevent transmission of the highly contagious virus.

Under outbreak regulations, suspected Ebola victims must be buried by trained teams because bodies can remain infectious and contribute to further spread.Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of public security in Ituri Province, said relatives and friends of the deceased attempted to take the body home despite official restrictions. Police intervened but were unable to prevent the unrest.

Witnesses reported that aid workers evacuated the facility as protesters entered the center and set fire to equipment and structures. Humanitarian organization ALIMA, which operates at the site, later said calm had been restored and medical teams had resumed their work.

The incident highlights the growing challenges facing Congolese authorities and international aid agencies as they confront an outbreak that the World Health Organization has designated a public health emergency of international concern.Health officials reported 671 suspected cases and 160 suspected deaths across two provinces as of Thursday.

The outbreak has also crossed borders, with neighboring Uganda reporting cases, including at least one death.The WHO and regional health authorities have warned that the true scale of the outbreak is likely significantly larger than official figures indicate. Surveillance efforts are continuing as investigators seek to identify additional infections and trace transmission chains.

The outbreak is centered in Ituri Province, a region affected by chronic insecurity, weak healthcare infrastructure and large-scale population displacement. More than 920,000 internally displaced people are living in the province, according to United Nations estimates, complicating disease surveillance and response efforts.

Health experts say the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak presents additional challenges because no approved vaccine or specific treatment is currently available. Officials estimate it could take at least six to nine months before a vaccine becomes available.The virus has now spread beyond Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

On Thursday, authorities reported the first confirmed cases in South Kivu Province, including a death near the city of Bukavu, approximately 500 kilometers south of the outbreak’s center.The disease circulated undetected for weeks after the first known fatality in late April, partly because initial investigations focused on more common Ebola strains previously seen in the country.

Health authorities have yet to identify the outbreak’s first infected patient.The escalating crisis has begun to affect international travel and regional events. India and the African Union announced the postponement of the India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled for next week in New Delhi, citing the evolving health situation in parts of Africa.

The United States has also imposed screening measures and travel restrictions for individuals recently arriving from affected countries.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and severe hemorrhagic symptoms.

Public health officials say rapid detection, isolation and community cooperation remain critical to containing the outbreak.

India’s foreign ministry said the two sides agreed to delay the summit, originally scheduled for May 28-31, citing the “emerging public health situation” across parts of Africa. The ministry said fresh dates for the gathering would be announced later.

The decision comes after the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo posed a high regional risk, although the threat remained low globally.

The WHO said the virus had likely been circulating undetected for months before the outbreak was officially declared last week.

The latest outbreak, the 17th recorded in Congo, has already been linked to 139 suspected deaths from roughly 600 probable cases, according to health authorities. Ebola, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.

India said it stood ready to support Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention-led efforts aimed at containing the outbreak and strengthening public health response systems across the continent.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport issued a health advisory on Thursday for passengers arriving from Democratic Republic of Congo as well as neighboring Uganda and South Sudan, reflecting growing concern over cross-border transmission risks.

The India-Africa Forum Summit is one of New Delhi’s key diplomatic platforms for engagement with African nations, covering trade, development cooperation, infrastructure and strategic partnerships. The postponement marks a rare disruption to the high-level forum amid heightened global vigilance over infectious disease outbreaks.

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.

The US State Department elevated the three countries to its highest advisory level, “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” while also advising citizens to reconsider travel to neighboring Rwanda due to its proximity to affected regions.

The advisory followed new emergency measures announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including enhanced airport screening procedures for travelers arriving from outbreak-hit areas and temporary visa-related restrictions.

US health authorities said non-American passport holders who had traveled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan within the previous 21 days would face restrictions on entry into the United States.

The CDC said the risk of Ebola spreading within the United States remained low but confirmed it was coordinating the evacuation of an American doctor infected with the virus in the DRC, along with six additional individuals undergoing medical monitoring.
German authorities said on Tuesday they were prepared to receive the infected US doctor for treatment.

The latest outbreak involves a strain of Ebola for which no approved vaccine or treatment has yet proven effective, according to health officials.

The CDC said it was expanding technical support for authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and working with international partners to strengthen surveillance and containment operations.

The US State Department said Washington was mobilizing approximately $13 million in emergency assistance to support the response.

Questions have also emerged regarding whether recent funding cuts to the United States Agency for International Development affected outbreak preparedness and monitoring capabilities in the region. US officials declined to directly address concerns about whether reductions in USAID resources had weakened health response infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump said he was concerned about the outbreak but described the situation as currently confined to Africa.

Ebola, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976, has killed an estimated 15,000 people globally over the past five decades. Depending on the strain, fatality rates can reach as high as 90 percent.

Public health experts have long warned that fragile healthcare systems, regional instability and population displacement in parts of Central Africa complicate efforts to rapidly contain outbreaks.