The Democratic Republic of Congo said in a statement on Monday that it had confirmed 550 Ebola cases, out of which, 101 deaths were recorded.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency over the current Ebola outbreak, which was announced on May 15, 2026 in northeastern DRC.

It is the 17th Ebola outbreak to hit the DRC, a vast central African country of more than 100 million people.

There is no specific vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo Ebola strain behind the latest outbreak.

Deadly disease

Ebola, which is spread through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

The WHO and the African CDC on Friday launched a $518-million plan to battle the outbreak over the next six months.

The epicentre of the current outbreak is DRC's northeastern province of Ituri, which faces an insecurity crisis due to armed groups.