DR Congo reports Ebola cases in 5 provinces, caseload nears 1,900

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported Ebola cases in five of the 26 provincial-level regions across the country, with the nationwide tally rising to 1,873 confirmed cases, including 672 deaths, according to a report released Sunday by the country’s health authorities.

The report, covering data through Friday, listed Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo as the affected provinces. Haut-Uele and Tshopo were included in the national situation report for the first time. Investigations indicate that the cases detected in the two provinces were epidemiologically linked to the outbreak epicenter in Ituri province through contacts and population movements.

The report said 763 patients were in isolation or receiving hospital treatment, while the overall bed occupancy rate at treatment facilities stood at 95.1 percent. A total of 306 people have recovered, while 299 suspected cases, including 91 deaths, have been recorded.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, was declared on May 15.

A record number of passenger trips were made across China in the first half of 2026, with more than 2.3 billion recorded, up 5 percent from the previous year, according to data released by the national railway operator Monday.

An average of 11,468 passenger trains were operated daily during the six-month period, representing a 5.8 percent year-on-year rise, figures from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) showed.

During this period, the national railway system efficiently managed peak travel surges during the Qingming Festival, May Day, and Duanwu Festival holidays, handling record-breaking passenger volumes on multiple occasions.

On May 1 alone, daily passenger volume reached 24.844 million trips nationwide, setting a new all-time high.

Cross-border rail travel has continued to grow in the first half of the year, with the China-Laos Railway carrying 188,000 trips, up 25.9 percent from a year earlier, while the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway handled 16.96 million cross-border trips, an increase of 13.8 percent year on year, China Railway said.

Adapting to the passenger flow growth brought by the country’s transit visa-free policy, China’s railway network has facilitated increased travel for foreign passengers, recording over 12.31 million foreign passenger trips in the first half, a surge of 33.6 percent year on year.