13 cases of rare Ebola variant confirmed in DRC
May 17, 2026
Kinshasa [Democratic Republic of the Congo], May 17: In the new outbreak of the dangerous Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 13 cases have been confirmed of the rare Bundibugyo variant, the African health agency Africa CDC said on Saturday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) currently has no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain. Earlier outbreaks of the life-threatening disease mainly involved the most common Zaire Ebola virus, Africa CDC said.
The Bundibugyo variant has a lower fatality rate of about 37%, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Zaire strain can have a fatality rate of up to 90%.
Africa CDC said four deaths were confirmed so far in Ituri province in the north-east of the DRC, which borders Uganda and South Sudan.
In neighbouring Uganda, one death was confirmed in which the Bundibugyo variant was also detected. There are currently 336 suspected cases and 88 reported deaths in the DRC, Africa CDC said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
