Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Congo Reports Ebola Death in New Province, Official Says
In a country called the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is a very serious sickness called Ebola.
A man who drove a motorcycle taxi got sick with Ebola and sadly died.
He had traveled from one part of the country to a new part where Ebola had never been seen before.
This new place is called Bas-Uele province.
Doctors tested him for Ebola after he died, and the test was positive.
The man had visited several health places before he died.
Other motorcycle taxi drivers tried to get his body, and the police had to come and stop them.
Many people are worried that others might have gotten sick too.
So far, this Ebola outbreak has made 4,566 people sick and taken the lives of 2,128 people.
It is the second-biggest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
Democratic Republic of Congo reported an Ebola death in Bas-Uele province, which had not previously been affected by the outbreak.
The victim was a motorcycle taxi driver who traveled from Haut-Uele province, where cases were already confirmed.
The patient tested positive for Ebola after his death, having developed haemorrhagic symptoms consistent with the virus.
The driver visited several health facilities before his death, and fellow motorcycle taxi drivers tried to retrieve his body, prompting police intervention.
The outbreak, Congo's 17th, has infected 4,566 people and killed 2,128, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
- Who
- A motorcycle taxi driver who died of Ebola, as reported by Jean-Jacques Muyembe, head of Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research.
- What
- The first confirmed Ebola death in Bas-Uele province, which had not previously been affected by the ongoing outbreak.
- When
- Reported on Aug 13, during an outbreak that was announced on May 15.
- Where
- Buta, capital of Bas-Uele province, Democratic Republic of Congo; the driver had traveled from Haut-Uele province.
- Why
- The death raised fears of wider Ebola transmission because the driver had multiple exposures before and after his death, including visits to several health facilities.
- Victim
- Motorcycle taxi driver
- Place of death
- Buta, capital of Bas-Uele province, DRC
- Traveled from
- Haut-Uele province, where cases were already confirmed
- Affected provinces
- Five, including Haut-Uele
- Confirmed cases in Haut-Uele
- 113
- Total infected in outbreak
- 4,566 people
- Total deaths
- 2,128
- Outbreak ranking
- Congo's 17th; second-largest on record