Africa CDC confirms new Ebola outbreak in Congo

KINSHASA,16th May, 2026 (WAM) -- Africa’s top public health body on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far, Associated Press reported.

Neighbouring Uganda later confirmed one death in an Ebola case, which it said was imported from Congo.

The deaths and suspected cases have been recorded mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

The agency said 65 deaths have been attributed to the outbreak and that four of those have so far been confirmed in a laboratory.

Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit and blood. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.