Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo reach 282 as survivors describe their
recoveries
[June 01, 2026]
By JUSTIN KABUMBA
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — 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.
The outbreak remains focused in Congo's eastern Ituri province, where
264 of the cases have been recorded, Congo’s Ministry of Health 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.
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.
The contact tracing coverage rate so far is 45% with 220 suspected cases
under investigation, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, some of the five people who have so far recovered from the
disease spoke of their relief in interviews with The Associated Press.
Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said he was overjoyed after the last two
Ebola tests on him returned negative.
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.
“The first one came back positive, but the second and third were
negative for me,” Bulambulu said with a wide grin. “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.
“That was how it started,” 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.”
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Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, right, shakes hands with Ezo Etienne, a health
worker who recovered from Ebola in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 31,
2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
 The WHO has said all five survivors
are health workers — four nurses and a laboratory worker — a group
most affected in the outbreak.
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.
Neighboring Uganda has also reported nine cases of Ebola and closed
its border with Congo seeking to limit its spread.
Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and
Uganda, the Bundibugyo virus has been rare. 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.
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.
"It’s a strong message that it is possible to recover from Ebola
when seeking care early in a dedicated health facility,” he added.
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