Ebola cases in Congo near 300 as more joyful stories from recovered
medical workers emerge
[June 02, 2026]
By JUSTIN KABUMBA
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — At least 282 cases of Ebola disease have been
confirmed in Congo’s growing outbreak, the central African nation says,
as more joyful stories from recovered medical workers emerge. One nurse
spoke of his “indescribable joy” at beating the illness.
The outbreak remains focused in eastern Ituri province, where 264 cases
have been confirmed, the health ministry said. Congo has reported more
than 1,000 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo virus, the species of Ebola
that was confirmed weeks after the outbreak quietly began. There is no
approved medicine to treat it, or vaccine.
The disease outbreak has killed 42 people in Congo and one person in
neighboring Uganda, according to health authorities in both countries.
The outbreak has spread to 22 health zones across three eastern
provinces in Congo, government data shows, even as the World Health
Organization has sought to highlight signs of progress, like new
deliveries of supplies to deeply under-resourced health centers.
Congo's health ministry says the main challenges in containing the
outbreak in the remote region include early detection and rapid
isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe and dignified burials
and strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities.
Meanwhile, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations said
Monday that it would commit up to $62 million to accelerate development
of three experimental vaccines targeting Bundibugyo. The three in
development are from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Moderna
and the University of Oxford.
Health workers have been at high risk. WHO honored five of them as
survivors over the weekend, during a visit by Director-General Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as he opened a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia,
capital of Ituri province.
Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said that he was thrilled after the final
Ebola tests on him returned negative.
“Coming out of this illness alive is an indescribable joy," Bulambulu
said with a wide grin.
Ezo Étienne, another nurse who recovered, said that he had started
feeling dizzy as he checked on patients.
“I called the team and told them, ‘Something’s wrong here,'" he
recalled. "I decided to rest for a bit, and a few minutes later I
started vomiting.”
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Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, right, shakes hands with Ezo Etienne, a health
worker who recovered from Ebola in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 31,
2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
 The virus is spread through close
contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids. Treatment has
mostly targeted patients' symptoms, WHO has said.
“Your courage gives hope and your living story that this outbreak
can be stopped,” Tedros told the health workers on Sunday.
Despite challenges that include threats by armed groups and anger
against health workers by some wary residents, the recoveries are “a
victory worth celebrating,” said Dr. Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi,
director-general of Congo’s National Institute of Public Health.
“It’s a strong message that it is possible to recover from Ebola
when seeking care early in a dedicated health facility,” he said.
Uganda has reported nine cases of Ebola in this outbreak and closed
its border with Congo, seeking to limit its spread. Although more
than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, the
Bundibugyo virus has been rare.
Attacks in the region by the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, a
rebel organization allied with the Islamic State group, and a
coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.
ADF fighters killed 16 people Saturday in Beni, North Kivu province,
an area also affected by the outbreak, the Congolese government said
Monday in a statement.
The illness also has been reported in both North Kivu and South
Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group
controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu.
___
Jean-Yves Kamale contributed to this report from Kinshasa.
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