GOMA, DR Congo, Sept. 4 — A new Ebola case has been confirmed in Lubero territory in North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in an area controlled by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion, Freddy Kaniki, coordinator of the Ebola response set up by the group, said Friday.
The patient, a 21-year-old man, had been on a list of people under surveillance by M23 response teams. Laboratory tests conducted after he was identified confirmed infection with the Bundibugyo ebolavirus.
According to information released by the rebel group, the man was identified as a suspected case on Sept. 2 at a health checkpoint before being transferred to a quarantine site, where samples were taken. The test results, released on Sept. 3, came back positive.
Local residents conduct Ebola prevention publicity on a street in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sept. 3, 2026. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday it remains too early to say that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is under control, despite signs of stabilization in recent weeks. (Xinhua)
The new case comes more than two months after the M23 declared in late June that the Ebola outbreak had been over in territories under its control in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, following a 21-day period without a newly reported case. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, had not officially confirmed an end to transmission in those areas.
The WHO has repeatedly warned that insecurity in eastern DRC has constrained access for response teams and disrupted surveillance and response activities, increasing the risk of undetected transmission.
Four Ebola cases had previously been reported in M23-controlled territories since the outbreak was declared in May.
According to the latest available data from the DRC health authorities, as of Sept. 1, the DRC had recorded 6,250 confirmed Ebola cases, including 3,039 deaths and 1,439 recoveries.
A staff member puts up a poster on Ebola prevention knowledge in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sept. 3, 2026. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday it remains too early to say that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is under control, despite signs of stabilization in recent weeks. (Xinhua)
The current outbreak, declared in May, has since become the country’s largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday it remains too early to say that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is under control, despite signs of stabilization in recent weeks.
