Uganda Closes Border With DRC As Ebola Death Toll Hits 220

Uganda has temporarily halted all flights to and from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and restricted crossings at its land borders in an effort to prevent further spread of the Ebola outbreak that has already claimed hundreds of lives and pushed into Ugandan territory, with the country’s confirmed case count now standing at seven.

The outbreak has killed more than 220 people and reported at least 930 cases across the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri in eastern DRC, according to the Congolese Ministry of Public Health, with the Bunia health zone in Ituri province identified as one of 11 Congolese health zones affected since the outbreak was declared in mid-May 2026.

The DRC authorities have also suspended all flights to and from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, in a separate bid to contain the spread of the virus, a decision taken by the Ministry of Transport and Communications that has effectively isolated the city economically.

The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare species of Ebola for which there is no licensed vaccine or approved treatment, with case fatality rates in previous outbreaks ranging from 30 to 50 percent.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17 after consulting affected countries, marking only the third time the Bundibugyo strain has been recorded in history.

Uganda’s seven confirmed cases include health workers at a private facility in Kampala, with the first case traced to a Congolese man who crossed from DRC and died in the Ugandan capital.

Nearly $500m has been pledged and committed by African governments and international partners to support the response to the outbreak in DRC, Uganda and other high-risk countries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.