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HealthWHO: Nearly 500 confirmed Ebola cases in Central Africa outbreak
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The World Health Organization reported nearly 500 confirmed Ebola cases in Central Africa, with 452 cases and 82 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 19 cases with 2 deaths in Uganda. The outbreak, declared three weeks ago in northeastern DRC, has been designated an international public health emergency. A top US CDC official warned that without strong interventions, the outbreak could rival the 2014 West Africa epidemic which saw over 28,000 cases. The rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola has no approved vaccines or treatments. The WHO and African CDC launched a $518-million six-month response plan focusing on surveillance, laboratory testing, and infection prevention. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated the outbreak is moving fast and they are still playing catch-up.
Source report
Source: AFP
Published: June 06, 2026 — 10:43 pm IST
Photo Credit: AP
Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed in the deadly outbreak raging in central Africa, a WHO overview showed Saturday (June 6, 2026), amid mounting concern over the swelling scale of the epidemic.
Key Figures
In its daily update on the situation, the World Health Organisation tallied:
- Democratic Republic of Congo: 452 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths (outbreak declared three weeks ago)
- Uganda: 19 confirmed cases, including 2 deaths
- Total: 471 cases and 84 deaths — a hike of 100 cases and 20 deaths from a day earlier
WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak
Warnings of Potential Record Scale
The increase came amid warnings that the outbreak, which the WHO has declared an international public health emergency, could eventually swell to become the largest on record.
A top official at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday (June 5) that models indicated that without strong public health interventions, the current outbreak risked rivalling the scale of the 2014 West Africa epidemic, which saw over 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths.
"That scale is possible," said Jason Asher, director of CDC's Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, during a press briefing.
Ebola, which is spread through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.
Outbreak Background
- The current outbreak was declared on May 15 in northeastern DR Congo
- The virus is believed to have spread under the radar for some time beforehand
- There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the outbreak
Response Efforts
The WHO and the African CDC on Friday (June 5) launched a $518-million plan to battle the outbreak over the next six months, focusing on:
- Boosting surveillance
- Laboratory testing
- Infection prevention
"The outbreak is moving fast, and we are still playing catch-up," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighbouring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear. This is a serious outbreak and it's one we know how to stop but we need to move fast and together."
Published - June 06, 2026 10:43 pm IST
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Part of this Story
WHO Declares Global Emergency Over Rare Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak in Africa