May 18, 2026 | 08:36 am

Ebola virus. Shutterstock

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has claimed at least 87 lives, while health authorities warned that the outbreak involves the highly dangerous Bundibugyo strain, which carries a high risk of further spread.As reported by Antara, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced on Saturday, May 16, 2026, that the outbreak has caused dozens of deaths in eastern DR Congo.DR Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said the outbreak, declared in Ituri Province on Friday, marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976. According to the health ministry, authorities have recorded 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths as of May 15, including four confirmed infections.“The Bundibugyo strain has no vaccine or specific treatment,” Kamba said during a press conference in Kinshasa on Saturday. He warned that the strain has a mortality rate that can reach 50 percent.The National Institute for Biomedical Research confirmed that tested samples were positive for Ebola virus disease caused by the Bundibugyo strain, first detected in Uganda in 2007.According to the health minister, the Bundibugyo strain differs from the more common Zaire strain because symptoms often begin with fever, while bleeding tends to appear later.Kamba said health teams have been deployed to trace contacts of confirmed cases and contain the spread of the disease in Ituri, neighboring provinces, and border areas.“This is a human-to-human transmissible disease,” he said. “The affected Mongwalu health zone is a high-traffic trade area, putting North Kivu, Tshopo, Uganda, and South Sudan at risk.”Uganda has already confirmed one imported case involving a Congolese national who later died in Kampala.Health authorities urged the public to immediately report suspected symptoms, including fever, vomiting, fatigue, or bleeding.Although there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, Kamba said DR Congo has the experience and resources needed to respond to the outbreak.“However, the DRC is prepared and has the capacity, expertise, and resources to deal with this outbreak,” he said.Read: WHO Declares International Emergency over Ebola OutbreakClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News