WHO says Ebola cases rise to 471 across DR Congo and Uganda as response plan expands

The World Health Organization says confirmed Ebola cases have risen to 471 across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with 84 deaths recorded in the two countries. The latest figures point to a fast-moving outbreak in central Africa that has already prompted an international public health emergency. Health officials say the spread is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

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According to the latest update, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 452 confirmed cases and 82 deaths, while Uganda has reported 19 cases and two deaths. That is an increase of 100 cases and 20 deaths in just 24 hours, based on figures released by authorities in both countries. The outbreak was declared in northeastern DR Congo on 15 May, although officials believe the virus may have been spreading undetected before that date.

The World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a $518 million response plan to run from June to November. The plan is intended to strengthen surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention, clinical care and community engagement. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak was moving fast and that responders were still playing catch-up.

The scale of the outbreak matters because it is now a cross-border emergency rather than a single-country outbreak. Uganda's confirmed cases show that transmission has already moved beyond the original area of concern in the DRC. Health authorities are relying on surveillance, testing, isolation and infection prevention because there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

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The current outbreak is also significant because the Bundibugyo strain is rare and has been associated with only two earlier recorded outbreaks, in 2007 and 2012. Africa CDC has said the present outbreak is larger than those previous episodes. Officials have also warned that limited access, insecurity, low levels of contact tracing and community mistrust can make Ebola harder to contain in affected areas.

The latest response effort is being shaped by the need to stop transmission quickly and to prepare neighbouring countries for possible new cases. The DRC outbreak was first declared in Ituri province, and treatment centres have been established there. The key actors now include national health authorities in both countries, the World Health Organization and Africa CDC, all of whom are focused on tracing contacts and confirming suspected cases.

What remains unclear is how far the virus has already spread and whether the new funding and coordination plan will be enough to bring case numbers down. The main indicators to watch are further confirmed cases in Uganda or the DRC, the pace of contact tracing and the speed of laboratory testing. Officials have said the outbreak can still be stopped, but only if response measures move quickly and in step across the region.

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