The center of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo : State of the World from NPR : NPR
Portrait of Serge Ugena, who lost his wife and five family members during the Ebola outbreak in the Shuni 1 neighborhood, where 58 deaths linked to the virus were recorded, in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on June 16, 2026.
Arséne Mpiana for NPR
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Arséne Mpiana for NPR
An Ebola outbreak is spreading across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that health experts warn could become one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in recent years. In just over a month, Congo’s Ministry of Health says more than 1,000 cases have been confirmed, and more than 250 people have died.
The outbreak was first detected in the gold-mining town of Mongbwalu, where health workers began noticing a cluster of mysterious illnesses and deaths earlier this year. By the time authorities officially declared an outbreak in May, the virus had already gained a foothold.
Since then, cases have been reported elsewhere in eastern Congo and across the border in Uganda. But Mongbwalu remains one of the outbreak’s main hotspots. Health workers there are battling not only the virus itself, but also fear, misinformation, and deep mistrust of medical authorities.
We go to ground zero of this Ebola outbreak.
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