By Sello Lentsoane, NNA News | Kinshasa, DR Congo

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are racing to contain the country’s latest Ebola outbreak after the death toll rose to 87, with officials warning that the virus strain involved has no approved vaccine and poses a growing regional threat.

The outbreak, centred in Ituri Province in eastern DRC, has so far recorded 336 suspected and confirmed infections, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

“This outbreak started in April. So far, we don't know the index case. It means we don't know how far the magnitude of this outbreak is,” said Jean Kaseya during an online media briefing on Saturday.

Roger Kamba, health minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), speaks at a press briefing on the latest Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province in eastern DRC, May 16, 2026. (Str/NNA News)

Health officials say the outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, only the third recorded outbreak linked to the strain since it was first identified in Uganda in 2007.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain, which has approved vaccines and treatment protocols, the Bundibugyo strain currently has no confirmed strain-specific vaccine.

DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba warned that the virus carries a high fatality rate.

“This is a disease transmitted from human to human. The affected health zone of Mongwalu is a commercial area marked by intense mobility, exposing North Kivu, Tshopo, Uganda, and South Sudan,” Kamba said.

He added that the strain can have a mortality rate of up to 50 percent.

The outbreak has already triggered concern across the region after Uganda confirmed an imported Ebola case involving a 59-year-old Congolese man who later died in Kampala.

Ugandan health official Diana Atwine said authorities had not yet confirmed local transmission inside Uganda.

“This is an imported case from the DRC. The country is yet to confirm a local case,” she said.

Africa CDC has classified the outbreak as a Grade 3 emergency, its highest level of concern, citing delayed detection, weak surveillance systems, cross-border movement and infections among healthcare workers.

Ngashi Ngongo, principal adviser for programme management at Africa CDC, described the re-emergence of the Bundibugyo strain as “a wake-up call”.

He said limited research on the strain had complicated the response because previous global Ebola efforts largely focused on the Zaire variant.

Health officials say symptoms often begin with fever, fatigue and vomiting before progressing to severe complications, including internal and external bleeding.

Authorities in Kinshasa have deployed emergency response teams to trace contacts and strengthen containment measures in affected communities and border areas.

A health worker wearing a mask is seen at the general reference hospital in Rwampara in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 16, 2026. (Str/NNA News)

Despite growing concern, Africa CDC said countries were not yet being advised to impose travel restrictions, but urged governments to intensify surveillance, contact tracing and infection control systems.

The latest outbreak is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976, once again highlighting the challenges facing African health systems in responding to recurring infectious disease threats amid fragile infrastructure and regional instability.