Further to the WHO’s official confirmation of an outbreak of 300 Ebola cases as of May 2026, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) acknowledge one of the highest single day increases (782 cases) including 181 deaths.

That number may be higher as the outbreak began prior to the official announcement and contact tracking had declined.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, infectious disease expert, spoke with Medical News Today explaining that despite the recent spikes in newly reported cases, a global spread of the virus is unlikely. Dr. Gandhi also emphasized current vaccine development.

An updated report effective June 16, 2026, shows confirmed cases of Ebola in the Congo (DRC) as 837 including 196 related deaths and 376 people hospitalized in isolation.

The Ituri Province

The center of the outbreak appears to be the Ituri Province of the DRC with 767 cases confirmed from 20 health zones and 67 confirmed cases from 10 health zones.

The current epidemic is believed to be caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. There is currently no approved treatment or vaccine available which makes the situation even more challenging. Yet the CDC suggests that the risk of an outbreak in the United States remains low. The medical missionary who initially contracted Ebola while in the DRC has returned to the United States and has been Ebola-free as of May 30, 2026.

Dr. Gandhi spoke about the increasing number of Ebola cases and discussed the potential for the disease to spread globally. The doctor explained that the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is the result of a strain called the Zaire strain that was responsible for the 2014 – 2016 West African outbreak, the largest Ebola outbreak known to date.

When asked why the current virus is spreading so fast, the doctor replied that the Bundibugyo virus is a distinct species of the ebolavirus family with no available vaccines or treatment. She went on to explain that Ebola can cause symptoms such as muscle aches, abdominal pain, and in extreme cases it causes hemorrhage and death.

The current outbreak was not detected initially because authorities were not aware that the cause was the Bundibugyo virus which requires a different diagnostic test. When the WHO finally announced a public health emergency on May 17th, 2026, the virus had spread considerably. The only solution is to isolate the person who is sick and quarantine those who were exposed to the virus.

Another approach is to isolate exposed individuals who may have fled to a conflict zone in the DRC and who may not respect health directives.

US Withdrawal

The withdrawal by the US from WHO and the collapse of USAID is a huge blow to health containment efforts as the US was a major player in global health.

The rapid increase in cases in one day may be an indication of the presence of more diagnostic testing and surveillance. This is helpful as once exposed those cases can be quarantined.

The Race to Develop a Vaccine

One vaccine under consideration by the WHO is Erbevo which is a vaccine against the Zaire strain according to Dr Gandhi. The WHO reviewed Erbevo but the consensus is that Erbevo is not suitable for use at this time other than in its carefully designed research settings.

A Bundibugyo vaccine, rVZV, is being developed by IAVI but will not be ready to be tested in clinical trials for approximately seven to nine months. The same time frame applies to several other vaccines under development according to Dr. Gandhi. However, the doctor reiterates that despite the increase in recorded cases of Ebola it is unlikely to evolve into a pandemic due to the nature of the virus. She maintains that simply implementing public health measures could contain the current outbreak.

Dr. Gandhi emphasized that Ebola is spread through close contact with the body fluids of an infected person or an individual who died from Ebola. She stated that it is believed that the outbreak will eventually be contained if quarantine, isolation and effective contact tracing are performed.

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Rose Duesterwald              June 24, 2026