DRC health workers celebrate progress in Ebola containment

The last two patients from the Ebola Treatment Centre in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, have been discharged, the director-general of the World Health Organization said in a Monday announcement. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reposted a video to social media of health professionals dancing and celebrating the lack of positive Ebola cases Sunday. The video showed healthcare workers—still dressed in their medical uniforms with masks, goggles, and gloves—dancing, singing, and playing instruments to mark the release of their last two Ebola patients.

Ghebreyesus said that no new positive cases were recorded at the facility in the past five days, although suspected cases remain under surveillance. He expressed his gratitude to the healthcare workers and said that while the outbreak is not over, every life saved is worth celebrating.

What’s the current status of the outbreak? As of Oct. 25, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported almost 10,000 confirmed cases of Ebola, including almost 5,000 deaths, since the current disease outbreak involving the Bundibugyo virus began in May 2026. Eight out of 26 provinces in the country have been affected so far, including Ituri, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Where has the disease spread outside of Congo? Health officials reported cases in Kenya and Nigeria this month, in addition to Uganda, where the outbreak has ended. As of Oct. 25, a total of nine confirmed cases, including two deaths, have been reported in Kenya. On Monday, Nigeria’s first patient to test positive in the current outbreak, a Swiss woman, was medically evacuated to Switzerland.

Dig deeper: Read my earlier report about Kenya’s first imported case of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.