Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo surpass 600 as outbreak continues to spread

Cases keep climbing

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have risen to 635, with 127 deaths reported as of June 9, Congolese authorities said. The outbreak is affecting Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, placing eastern Congo at the center of the response effort.

The latest national tally marks a sharp increase from the numbers WHO reported just days earlier. On June 3, the agency said Congo had 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths, while Uganda had 15 confirmed cases and one death.

That gap illustrates how quickly the outbreak has expanded in early June and how much the caseload has changed over a short period.

A response still behind the outbreak

WHO says the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and that responders are still trying to catch up with transmission. At the June 3 briefing, the agency said only about 45% of contacts were being followed up, leaving major surveillance gaps.

The organization also said the outbreak may have had a head start before it was detected. Insecurity, displacement, community mistrust and blanket travel restrictions have all made it harder to isolate patients, trace contacts and carry out safe burials.

WHO has said there are no vaccines or therapeutics currently available for this strain, although it is working on clinical trials and decentralized diagnostics.

What officials are reporting now

People reported that Congo’s Ministry of Public Health said the contact follow-up rate had improved to 61.1% by June 9. The same report said 30 people had recovered, 297 patients were being treated and 25 of the country’s 104 health zones had been affected.

AP reported that Ituri accounts for more than 90% of the cases, and that attacks on health workers, misinformation and skepticism in some communities are complicating the response. The agency also described an awareness campaign in Bunia involving motorcycle taxi drivers, reflecting the need to lean on local messengers to build trust.

Regional stakes

The outbreak is already a cross-border concern. WHO said on June 3 that Uganda had recorded 15 confirmed cases and one death, raising pressure on neighboring health authorities to coordinate surveillance and case management.

WHO determined on May 17 that the outbreak met the threshold for a public health emergency of international concern. Since then, the agency has continued to monitor the situation in Congo and Uganda while urging faster tracing and stronger community engagement.

The key question now is how much transmission remains hidden in areas with limited surveillance. Congo’s next update will show whether the case count keeps rising, whether contact tracing improves further and whether the response can close the gap before the outbreak spreads wider.