DRC and Uganda battle Ebola as confirmed cases reach 83 and officials suspend flights

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda are racing to contain a fast-moving Ebola outbreak that has now spread across multiple provinces, disrupted travel and strained an already fragile response. Congo has suspended flights to the eastern city of Bunia as authorities try to slow transmission, while regional health ministers warn that the risk of cross-border spread is rising. Uganda has also confirmed three new Ebola cases, including a health worker and a driver linked to the country’s first known infection, according to Bloomberg.

The outbreak is centered in eastern Congo, where case counts have climbed quickly and contact tracing has become increasingly difficult. According to the CDC, the outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of the species that can cause Ebola disease. As of May 22, the CDC said health ministries in Congo and Uganda had reported 744 suspected cases, 83 confirmed cases and 176 suspected deaths, though it noted the numbers are changing rapidly. The agency also reported a new confirmed case in South Kivu province, adding to earlier cases in Ituri and North Kivu.

The spread into new areas is especially concerning because eastern Congo is a region with limited infrastructure, active conflict in some areas and difficult access for health teams. Bloomberg reported that the outbreak is overwhelming contact-tracing efforts and that key medical tools are running short, raising fears that containment measures could lag behind the virus’s movement. Health workers are trying to identify and monitor people who may have been exposed, but that work becomes harder as cases appear in more places and travel links the affected areas more tightly.

Uganda’s new cases add another layer of concern because they show the outbreak is already crossing borders. The CDC said Uganda has confirmed two Ebola cases, including one death, in people who traveled from Congo. Bloomberg’s report on the new Ugandan infections said the latest cases included a health worker and a driver connected to the country’s first known case, underscoring the danger to those who come into close contact with patients, transport them or work in treatment settings.

The response is also unfolding amid a sharply weakened international aid environment. In a Bloomberg interview, former USAID COVID-19 Task Force executive director Jeremy Konyndyk said U.S. Ebola assistance has dropped dramatically since the last major outbreak and argued that the dismantling of USAID and the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization have harmed the public health response. The CDC said the risk to the U.S. public remains low, but it has issued travel notices, stepped up screening and monitoring for travelers from affected countries, and warned Americans to avoid nonessential travel to some affected provinces.

Ebola remains a severe and often fatal illness, but outbreaks can be contained when cases are found quickly, patients are isolated, contacts are tracked and communities trust the response. That is why the current spread in eastern Congo matters well beyond the region: it tests whether local and international health systems can respond fast enough in a place where access is hard and resources are thin. With flights being restricted, supplies running low and new cases appearing in Uganda, officials are now working against the clock to stop the outbreak from widening further.