NPR
Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo reach 282 as survivors describe their recoveries
+623 words added -527 words removed
By
The Associated Press
Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visits health workers at the Evangelical Medical Centre (CEM) in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Sponsor Message
Become an NPR sponsor
− Moses Sawasawa/AP hide caption
BUNIA, Congo — At least 282 confirmed cases of Ebola have now been reported in Congo's ongoing outbreak, the central African nation said late Sunday, as patients who recovered from the disease spoke of their indescribable joy in interviews with The Associated Press.
+ Moses Sawasawa/AP hide caption
BUNIA, Congo — At least 282 cases of Ebola disease have been confirmed in Congo's growing outbreak, the central African nation says, as more joyful stories from recovered medical workers emerge. One nurse spoke of his "indescribable joy" at beating the illness.
− Africa Congo's Ebola outbreak is spiraling, with health workers struggling to contain the virus The outbreak remains focused in Congo's eastern Ituri province, where 264 of the cases have been recorded, Congo's Ministry of Health said.
+ The outbreak remains focused in eastern Ituri province, where 264 cases have been confirmed, the health ministry said.
− Congo has reported over 1,000 suspected cases with the Bundibugyo virus, the current species of Ebola, which has no approved treatment or vaccine.
+ Congo has reported more than 1,000 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo virus, the species of Ebola that was confirmed weeks after the outbreak quietly began. There is no approved medicine to treat it, or vaccine.
− According to the health ministry, the main challenges in containing the outbreak include early detection and rapid isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe and dignified burials and strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities.
+ Africa Congo's Ebola outbreak is spiraling, with health workers struggling to contain the virus The disease outbreak has killed 42 people in Congo and one person in neighboring Uganda, according to health authorities in both countries.
− The contact tracing coverage rate so far is 45% with 220 suspected cases under investigation, the ministry said.
+ The outbreak has spread to 22 health zones across three eastern provinces in Congo, government data shows, even as the World Health Organization has sought to highlight signs of progress, like new deliveries of supplies to deeply under-resourced health centers.
− Meanwhile, some of the five people who have so far recovered from the disease spoke of their relief in interviews with The Associated Press.
+ Congo's health ministry says the main challenges in containing the outbreak in the remote region include early detection and rapid isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe and dignified burials and strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities.
− Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said he was overjoyed after the last two Ebola tests on him returned negative.
+ Meanwhile, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations said Monday that it would commit up to $62 million to accelerate development of three experimental vaccines targeting Bundibugyo. The three in development are from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Moderna and the University of Oxford.
− Global Health A rare Ebola strain is spreading with no vaccine.
+ Health workers have been at high risk.
− Here's what you need to know Bulambulu was among those presented certificates of recovery by the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as he opened a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, on Sunday.
+ WHO honored five of them as survivors over the weekend, during a visit by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as he opened a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, capital of Ituri province.
− "The first one came back positive, but the second and third were negative for me," Bulambulu said with a wide grin.
+ Global Health A rare Ebola strain is spreading with no vaccine.
− "Coming out of this illness alive is an indescribable joy."
Ezo Étienne, another nurse who recovered from the disease, said he first started feeling dizzy during ward rounds at the hospital as he checked on patients.
+ Here's what you need to know Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said that he was thrilled after the final Ebola tests on him returned negative.
− "That was how it started," he recalled.
+ "Coming out of this illness alive is an indescribable joy," Bulambulu said with a wide grin.
Ezo Étienne, another nurse who recovered, said that he had started feeling dizzy as he checked on patients.
"I called the team and told them, 'Something's wrong here,'" he recalled.
− "I called the team and told them, 'Something's wrong here.' I checked my blood pressure and saw that I was immediately experiencing hypotension (low blood pressure).
+ "I decided to rest for a bit, and a few minutes later I started vomiting."
The virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients' bodily fluids.
− I decided to rest for a bit, and a few minutes later I started vomiting."
The WHO has said all five survivors are health workers — four nurses and a laboratory worker — a group most affected in the outbreak.
+ Treatment has mostly targeted patients' symptoms, WHO has said.
− Treatments so far have mostly targeted patients' symptoms, the organization has said.
+ "Your courage gives hope and your living story that this outbreak can be stopped," Tedros told the health workers on Sunday.
− "Your courage gives hope and your living story, that this outbreak can be stopped," Tedros told the health workers on Sunday.
+ Despite challenges that include threats by armed groups and anger against health workers by some wary residents, the recoveries are "a victory worth celebrating," said Dr. Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, director-general of Congo's National Institute of Public Health.
− Neighboring Uganda has also reported nine cases of Ebola and closed its border with Congo seeking to limit its spread.
+ "It's a strong message that it is possible to recover from Ebola when seeking care early in a dedicated health facility," he said.
− Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, the Bundibugyo virus has been rare.
+ Uganda has reported nine cases of Ebola in this outbreak and closed its border with Congo, seeking to limit its spread.
− The lack of approved vaccines and treatments, as well as the remote locations and armed violence in hot spots, have made the current response challenging.
+ Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, the Bundibugyo virus has been rare.
− Despite the challenges, the recoveries are "a victory worth celebrating," said Dr. Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, the director-general of Congo's National Institute of Public Health.
+ Attacks in the region by the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, a rebel organization allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.
− "It's a strong message that it is possible to recover from Ebola when seeking care early in a dedicated health facility," he added.
+ ADF fighters killed 16 people Saturday in Beni, North Kivu province, an area also affected by the outbreak, the Congolese government said Monday in a statement.
+ The illness also has been reported in both North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu.