Ebola cases rise in Congo, as government revives travel restrictions

Members of a Congolese Red Cross team carry the coffin of a woman suspected of having died from Ebola virus disease during her safe burial at a cemetery in Bunia on June 7, 2026. Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed 27 new Ebola cases, according to a report released late on Sunday, warning that protective measures need to be scaled up quickly.

Congo's National Institute for Public Health (INSP) said the country now has 515 confirmed Ebola cases, following the 27 new infections reported within a 24-hour period.

More than 94% of the recorded cases are in Ituri, a province in eastern Congo plagued by some of the country's most violent armed groups, such as the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, which is affiliated with the Islamic State. The threat posed by these armed groups is making the health response much more complicated. But Ituri's health system is also dire, and it's hard to get around given the few paved roads in the province.

As aid workers struggle amid trying circumstances, European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib visited Ituri for several hours on Sunday to show support to people on the ground.

"We need to be able to provide diagnoses more quickly," she told reporters, in Congo's national language, French.

She added that treatment outcomes were better for those who sought medical help early. "Many patients arrive with situations that are already dire, so it's much harder to save them." On Friday, Congolese health authorities had also warned of "rapid community spread" of the disease after discovering 71 new cases of Ebola.

Since the government first declared an outbreak on May 15, the disease has spread to 17 out of 36 health zones in Ituri. The provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, both in eastern Congo, have also recorded cases.