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Congo Ebola outbreak may be worst ever, Africa CDC says

By Thomson Reuters Jun 16, 2026 | 8:05 AM

NAIROBI/DAKAR, June 16 (Reuters) – The head of Africa’s Centres for Disease Control ​and Prevention warned ‌on Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak in Congo could be the worst ever, ‌saying ​that currently ⁠tens of thousands ⁠of contacts of those ill with the disease had not been traced.

“If ​we don’t stop the outbreak very soon ⁠it will ⁠be worse than what ​we had in West ​Africa and eastern DRC,” Africa ‌CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya told a virtual meeting of African heads ⁠of state in Burundi.

He was referring to the outbreak that ⁠affected ‌Guinea, Liberia and ⁠Sierra Leone in ​2014-2016 ‌that killed over 11,000 ​people and ⁠a less deadly 2018 outbreak in Congo.

(Reporting by Emma Farge and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Alison ​Williams)