Ebola outbreak in DRC confirmed in Tshopo province

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has reached Tshopo province, with two PCR-positive cases reported in Kisangani on July 9, according to Congolese media citing the National Institute of Public Health. The development would add a fourth affected province to an outbreak that WHO said had already spread across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu as of July 1. WHO said the outbreak, caused by Bundibugyo virus, was confirmed in DRC and Uganda in May and remains under active international response. ### How did Tshopo enter the outbreak map? Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, recorded two confirmed Ebola cases, according to Actualite.cd and other Congolese outlets on July 9. One of the two patients was linked to Nia-Nia in Ituri, which local reporting described as the current epicenter, while the second case had no identified geographic link outside Kisangani in the initial reports. (actualite.cd) AP reported on July 9 that the Congolese government had also flagged suspected cases in previously unaffected provinces, including Tshopo and Haut-Uele. That report said the national death toll had reached 600. ### What do the latest official numbers show? WHO said in its July 3 Disease Outbreak News that, as of July 1, DRC had reported 1,460 confirmed cases and 452 deaths. (actualite.cd) The same WHO update said the wider cross-border total had reached 1,481 confirmed cases and 454 deaths, including 20 cases in Uganda and one in France linked to DRC. Anadolu, citing health authorities on July 9, reported that confirmed cases in DRC had risen above 1,700 amid continued community transmission. (apnews.com) That aligns with the user’s cited social-post figure showing the outbreak had continued to grow rapidly after WHO’s July 1 cutoff. ### Why are officials focused on Kisangani? Kisangani is a major transport hub in northeastern Congo, and Tshopo had already been treated as a preparedness concern before confirmed cases were reported there. (who.int) An International Medical Corps situation report published on ReliefWeb on June 2 said teams were assessing high-risk areas including Tshopo province and Kisangani for preparedness gaps. (aa.com.tr) Provincial authorities had also moved before the July 9 confirmation. Actualite.cd reported that Tshopo governor Paulin Lendongolia signed an order on July 3 barring the entry of corpses from already affected areas, regardless of cause of death. Radio Okapi reported in May that Kisangani’s Catholic archbishop had already urged vigilance because of the city’s links with neighboring Ituri. (reliefweb.int) ### What else is straining the response? Ituri, the outbreak’s hardest-hit province, has also seen disruptions among frontline workers. Africanews, citing AP, reported on July 8 that health workers at the center of the response were walking off the job over delayed pay, while Radio Okapi and Actualite.cd reported protests and demands for unpaid bonuses and better conditions around the Rwampara treatment center. (actualite.cd) North Kivu opened a second Ebola treatment center on July 6, Africanews reported, as authorities tried to expand specialist care. Congolese officials had said earlier in June that nine treatment centers with 500 beds were being deployed in affected zones. ### What is the France case, and why does it matter? WHO said French authorities notified it on June 24 of a laboratory-confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola case in a medical doctor returning from DRC. (africanews.com) WHO’s July 3 update counted that as one confirmed case in France linked to the DRC outbreak. WHO’s outbreak page says there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo species involved, though candidate tools are under study and response measures include surveillance, contact tracing, clinical management and cross-border preparedness. (africanews.com) WHO’s next public updates are expected through its DRC 2026 outbreak page and Disease Outbreak News notices, while Congolese authorities continue tracing the Kisangani cases and their links to Nia-Nia. (who.int 1) (who.int 2)