Mpox case confirmed in northeastern Congolese city at center of Ebola outbreak

A laboratory-confirmed case of mpox was identified in the northeastern Congolese city of Bunia, ​the director of a local hospital and two health ‌officials said, raising concerns about a resurgence of ​the disease as the country battles its ⁠worst Ebola outbreak on record.

The epidemic caused by the Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 in Ituri ‌province, where Bunia is located, and has infected 7,890 people and killed 3,799, according to ‌government data published on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

Mpox is a ‌viral ⁠disease that causes fever and skin ⁠lesions and spreads through close physical contact.

Congo declared an end to mpox as a national public health emergency in April after ​a three-year outbreak that ‌resulted in more than 34,000 confirmed cases nationwide. Authorities cautioned at the time that the virus had not been eradicated and could resurge.