100 New Ebola Cases in a Day as Outbreak Accelerates

Nearly 500 Ebola cases have been confirmed across central Africa as the outbreak continues to expand rapidly, with the World Health Organization reporting 471 total cases and 84 deaths as of June 6, 2026. The Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for 452 confirmed cases including 82 deaths, while neighbouring Uganda has recorded 19 cases and two deaths. The combined figures represent an increase of 100 cases and 20 deaths within a single day, raising alarms that the outbreak could rival the devastating 2014 West Africa epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, was officially declared on May 15 in northeastern DRC, though health officials believe the virus had been spreading undetected for some time prior. The WHO has already declared the situation an international public health emergency, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that without strong public health interventions, the current outbreak could match the scale of the 2014 crisis, which saw over 28,000 cases. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain. In response, the WHO and the African CDC launched a $518 million plan on June 5 to battle the outbreak over the next six months, focusing on surveillance, laboratory testing, and infection prevention efforts. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as moving fast and acknowledged that health authorities are still playing catch-up. "We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighbouring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear," he said. "This is a serious outbreak and it's one we know how to stop, but we need to move fast and together."