That distinction matters in an outbreak. A rising case count can mean the virus is spreading faster, that surveillance is improving, or both at once. WHO's update points to both pressures: sustained transmission in the DRC and a reporting system catching up with infections that had not yet been confirmed.
WHO said the DRC had reported 896 confirmed cases and Uganda 19. Deaths were concentrated in the DRC, with 232 there and two in Uganda. At least 88 people had recovered. Since WHO's previous Disease Outbreak News on 13 June, the DRC reported 220 additional confirmed cases and 96 additional confirmed deaths, an increase WHO linked partly to scaled-up testing and diagnostic capacity.
Table: WHO-reported Bundibugyo virus disease figures
| Country | Confirmed cases | Confirmed deaths | Recoveries | WHO risk assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 896 | 232 | 78 | Very high |
| Uganda | 19 | 2 | 10 | High |
| Total | 915 | 234 | 88 | - |
Source: WHO Disease Outbreak News, 19 June 2026.
The Uganda line is the clearest sign that the outbreak is not uniform across borders. WHO reported no new confirmed cases in Uganda since 5 June and no documented community transmission there, with exposure risks linked to healthcare settings and cross-border movement. That was a very different public-health problem from sustained transmission in eastern DRC, though later ECDC monitoring said Uganda had reported 20 confirmed cases by 23 June, including a most recent case reported on 21 June.
The DRC picture has also moved since the WHO update. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on 23 June that DRC health authorities had reported 1,048 confirmed cases and 267 confirmed related deaths as of 21 June, with Ituri still the most affected province. The newer count does not make WHO's backlog caveat obsolete; it makes the caveat more important. A reader needs to know whether the curve is recording new transmission, late confirmation of older samples, or both.
In the DRC, the harder question is operational. Ebola response depends on fast case identification, isolation, contact tracing, safe burials and infection prevention inside health facilities. WHO said the outbreak was unfolding in a complex humanitarian and conflict-affected environment, with mobile and displaced populations, constrained access for response teams, disrupted surveillance and risk of undetected transmission.