News Screen – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to spread with the death toll reaching 204 people as of Saturday, May 23 2026. African health authorities also warned of the potential spread of the virus to a number of other countries in the region.
The DRC Ministry of Health said in a statement that a total of 867 suspected Ebola cases had been recorded in the three affected provinces. The number of deaths increased significantly compared to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) the previous day which recorded 177 deaths from 750 suspected cases.
WHO had previously designated the Ebola outbreak in the DRC as an international health emergency due to the high risk of cross-border spread.
Also Read: Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo Spreads to South Kivu Controlled by M23
Head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, said at least 10 African countries were in the high risk category for the outbreak.
Countries said to be at risk include Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
According to Kaseya, the high mobility of people and unstable security conditions in the Central African region are the main factors in the spread of the Ebola virus. “High mobility and insecurity increase the risk of cross-regional transmission,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uganda reported three new cases of Ebola on Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to five since the outbreak was detected on May 15. One patient was reported to have died.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health said the three latest patients consisted of a driver from Uganda, a health worker and a woman from the DRC. The three are reportedly still alive and undergoing medical treatment.
Ebola is a disease caused by a viral infection that is transmitted through direct contact with the sufferer’s body fluids. This disease can cause severe bleeding and organ failure and has a high mortality rate.
The outbreak is currently centered in the eastern region of the DRC, especially in Ituri Province which borders Uganda, before spreading to South Kivu.
In the midst of this situation, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced that three of their volunteers had died after being suspected of being exposed to Ebola while carrying out humanitarian work in Ituri last March.
According to the IFRC, the three volunteers handled the funeral process before the community knew about the Ebola outbreak in the area. “At that time there was no awareness that an Ebola outbreak was ongoing,” the IFRC said in a statement.
WHO also raised the risk level for Ebola in the DRC to “very high”, while the risk of spread in the Central African region was assessed as high even though the global threat is still relatively low.
Experts say the current outbreak was triggered by the Bundibugyo strain, which is rarer and currently has no officially approved vaccine or treatment.
The security situation in the eastern region of the DRC also poses a major challenge in controlling the outbreak. The area has been plagued by armed conflict for years and lacks government services.
DRC Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, emphasized that full control of the affected areas is very important to stop the spread of the virus.
“This is a common problem that requires the attention of all parties,” said Kamba at a press conference in Addis Ababa.***
