Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo reach 282 as survivors describe their recoveries

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visits health workers at the Evangelical Medical Centre (CEM) in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 31, 2026. Moses Sawasawa/AP hide caption toggle caption Moses Sawasawa/AP BUNIA, Congo — At least 282 confirmed cases of Ebola have now been reported in Congo's ongoing outbreak, the central African nation said late Sunday, as patients who recovered from the disease spoke of their indescribable joy in interviews with The Associated Press. The outbreak remains focused in Congo's eastern Ituri province, where 264 of the cases have been recorded, Congo's Ministry of Health said. Congo has reported over 1,000 suspected cases with the Bundibugyo virus, the current species of Ebola, which has no approved treatment or vaccine. According to the health ministry, the main challenges in containing the outbreak include early detection and rapid isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe and dignified burials and strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities. The contact tracing coverage rate so far is 45% with 220 suspected cases under investigation, the ministry said. Meanwhile, some of the five people who have so far recovered from the disease spoke of their relief in interviews with The Associated Press. Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said he was overjoyed after the last two Ebola tests on him returned negative. …