By Abu Dalisu l May 29, 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the first recovery from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), offering a rare moment of hope as health authorities continue battling the fast-spreading disease across Central Africa.
WHO officials announced on Friday that a patient infected with the Ebola virus had successfully recovered and was discharged from hospital on May 27 after receiving treatment during the current outbreak.
The development comes amid growing international concern over the outbreak, which has already spread across parts of eastern Congo and neighbouring Uganda, prompting the WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern earlier this month.
According to the WHO, the outbreak is being caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus — a dangerous variant for which there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments.
Health officials say the disease has become increasingly difficult to contain because it circulated undetected for weeks in conflict-affected regions before authorities confirmed the outbreak.
As of May 29, WHO reported at least 125 confirmed cases and 17 confirmed deaths in Congo, alongside more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 suspected deaths across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Uganda has also confirmed several imported cases linked to travel from Congo.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Congo this week to support containment efforts and coordinate emergency response operations. He warned that the outbreak remains extremely dangerous, with fatality rates estimated between 30 and 50 percent among confirmed cases.
Despite the alarming figures, the recovery of the first patient has provided encouragement to medical teams working under difficult conditions in eastern Congo, where armed conflict, population displacement and distrust of health authorities have complicated response efforts.
WHO official Anais Legand said more recoveries are expected as testing and treatment efforts improve. Authorities are also intensifying surveillance operations to identify infected individuals earlier and prevent wider transmission.
The current Ebola outbreak was officially confirmed on May 15 after unusual clusters of severe illness and deaths were reported in Ituri Province. Initial investigations linked the outbreak to communities around Mongbwalu and Rwampara health zones.
The WHO noted that several healthcare workers have already died during the outbreak, raising concerns about infections inside medical facilities and shortages of protective equipment.
International agencies, including WHO, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Africa CDC, have increased emergency support to affected areas by deploying medical supplies, testing laboratories and health workers.
Neighbouring countries have also tightened border surveillance and introduced emergency health measures to prevent the virus from spreading further. Thailand recently became the first country to impose a mandatory 21-day quarantine for travellers arriving from Congo and Uganda because of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, Uganda has strengthened screening procedures after confirming several Ebola infections connected to the Congo outbreak, although authorities say no widespread community transmission has been detected there so far.
Experts warn that the Bundibugyo strain presents additional challenges because existing Ebola vaccines developed for the Zaire strain may not provide full protection. Scientists are now racing to develop effective vaccines and therapies specifically targeting the current variant.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks over the past several decades, including one of the world’s deadliest epidemics between 2018 and 2020 that killed thousands of people.
Although the first confirmed recovery has lifted morale among responders, health authorities caution that the outbreak remains far from over and could worsen without stronger international support and rapid containment measures.