The Democratic Republic of Congo reports 282 confirmed Ebola cases, with the outbreak concentrated in Ituri province. Over 1,000 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo virus species, which lacks approved treatment or vaccine, have been recorded. Containment challenges include low contact tracing at 45%, need for early detection, safe burials, and infection control. Some recovered health workers, including nurses, shared their experiences of joy after testing negative, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus present at a new treatment center opening in Bunia.
Director General of the World Health Organisation , Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, right, shakes hands with Ezo Etienne, a health worker who recovered from Ebola in Bunia, Congo, on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
BUNIA, Congo — At least 282 confirmed cases of Ebola have now been reported in Congo's ongoing outbreak, the central African nation said late Sunday , as patients who recovered from the disease spoke of their indescribable joy in interviews with The Associated Press. The outbreak remains focused in Congo's eastern Ituri province, where 264 of the cases have been recorded, Congo's Ministry of Health said.
Congo has reported over 1,000 suspected cases with the Bundibugyo virus, the current species of Ebola, which has no approved treatment or vaccine. According to the health ministry, the main challenges in containing the outbreak include early detection and rapid isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe and dignified burials and strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities. The contact tracing coverage rate so far is 45 per cent with 220 suspected cases under investigation, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, some of the five people who have so far recovered from the disease spoke of their relief in interviews with The Associated Press. Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said he was overjoyed after the last two Ebola tests on him returned negative. Bulambulu was among those presented certificates of recovery by the World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as he opened a new Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, on Sunday.
"The first one came back positive, but the second and third were negative for me," Bulambulu said with a wide grin. "Coming out of this illness alive is an indescribable joy. " Ezo Etienne, another nurse who recovered from the disease, said he first started feeling dizzy during ward rounds at the hospital as he checked on patients. "That was how it started," he recalled.
"I called the team and told them, 'Something's wrong here. ' I checked my blood pressure and saw that I was immediately experiencing hypotension . I decided to rest for a bit, and a few minutes later I started vomiting.
" The WHO has said all five survivors are health workers — four nurses and a laboratory worker — a group most affected in the outbreak. "Your courage gives hope and your living story, that this outbreak can be stopped," Tedros told the health workers on Sunday. Neighbouring Uganda has also reported nine cases of Ebola 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. The lack of approved vaccines and treatments, as well as the remote locations and armed violence in hot spots, have made the current response challenging. Despite the challenges, the recoveries are "a victory worth celebrating", said Dr Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, the 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 added.
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