The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 1,528 confirmed Ebola cases and 492 deaths as of 5 July, with the outbreak continuing to expand across the country's eastern provinces. Health authorities confirmed that epidemiological weeks 25 and 26 each logged more than 300 new confirmed cases — the highest weekly totals since the outbreak began — signalling sustained community transmission.

Scale of the Outbreak

According to a situation report released by DRC public health authorities, 239 patients have recovered, while 628 confirmed patients remain in isolation or hospitalisation. An additional 185 suspected cases have been identified and are under investigation.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has characterised this as the largest Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak ever recorded. Unlike the more familiar Zaire strain, the Bundibugyo virus currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, raising the stakes for an already overstretched response.

Eastern Provinces Bear the Brunt

WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi said at an online media briefing that transmission is continuing in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, where the outbreak is most severe. Pierre Akilimali, a WHO expert based in the DRC, noted that many affected areas in Ituri are active mining zones, where frequent movement of workers from outside communities has amplified the risk of virus spread.

Akilimali added that ongoing insecurity and armed group activity in the region are making case detection and contact tracing significantly more difficult — a combination that health officials describe as among the most challenging outbreak environments in recent memory.

Key Challenges Facing Responders

The situation report flagged several critical obstacles, including community resistance to post-mortem sampling, insufficient capacity at Ebola treatment centres — particularly in North Kivu — suboptimal contact tracing, delayed laboratory diagnosis, and shortages of medical and infection-prevention supplies. Limited access due to insecurity in parts of the affected zone compounds each of these problems.

This is not the DRC's first Ebola crisis; the country has experienced more outbreaks than any other nation. However, the convergence of record weekly case counts, an untreatable viral strain, and active conflict zones marks this episode as particularly acute.

Clinical Trial Underway, Uganda Situation Contained

On Thursday, the WHO confirmed that a clinical trial has begun enrolling patients in the DRC to evaluate potential treatments for Bundibugyo Ebola — a critical step given the absence of any approved therapy. The trial represents the first structured treatment evaluation for this strain.

Across the border, Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases as of Thursday, of which 15 were imported. The remaining five locally infected individuals were all detected while in quarantine. Benjamin Sensasi, a WHO expert in Uganda, confirmed that no community transmission has been observed in the country so far.

The DRC and Uganda have established a joint cross-border response mechanism and signed a memorandum of understanding to share surveillance data and strengthen screening and treatment capacity at border crossings, according to Sensasi.

What Comes Next

With weekly case counts at record highs and structural barriers to containment firmly in place, health officials are watching whether the clinical trial yields usable treatment data quickly enough to influence the outbreak's trajectory. The cross-border cooperation framework with Uganda will be tested as case numbers evolve in the weeks ahead.