Daniel Summers
@danielrsummers.bsky.social
International development professional, supporting rights advocacy, civil society, and global health work in East and Southern Africa and beyond. Following emerging infectious disease threats. H5N1 Dashboard (defunct): https://tinyurl.com/H5N1Dashboard
DRC Ministry of Health announced a mandatory 21-day pre-travel hold for anyone who has stayed in a province where Ebola is present. Traveler (domestic or international) must complete the 21-day period while outside of the affected area. Full text of the order attached to 2nd post:
First confirmed case of Ebola in France, linked to the ongoing outbreak in DRC and Uganda. French Ministry of Health: sante.gouv.fr/actualites-p... BBC:
France confirms first Ebola case
The French doctor had been working in DR Congo, where more than 260 people are known to have died.
bbc.com
Slightly concerned with the Ebola SitRep release schedule in DRC, INSP skipped SitRep 29 and they're now late with SitRep 31. Instead, the Ministry of Communication and Media published this high-level summary today (missing lots of key data):
Very concerning that Ebola is showing up now in IDP populations in NE DRC. Decades of conflict/displacement make effective intervention incredibly difficult, easily among the most challenging contexts in the world. >5.5M IDPs in the NE alone:
Ebola outbreak spreads to crowded displacement camp in Congo
The U.N. refugee agency confirmed the first Ebola-related deaths in a displacement camp in eastern Congo, as aid workers warned of a high risk the disease could spread rapidly in overcrowded sites.
reuters.com
DRC Ebola SitRep 26 Update: • 635 confirmed cases • 262 suspected cases (upper bound) • 127 deaths, 30 recovered • N. Kivu test backlog • 5th day in a row INSP have reported validated alerts (suspected cases) via traveler screening SitRep: insp.cd/sitrep-n26-m... Data: tinyurl.com/DRCEbolaSitR...
SitRep 24 Update: • 550 confirmed cases (~837 incl suspected alerts + isolation) • Contact tracing: 5040➡️5418 total contacts, 2535➡️3489 contacts reached, 64.4% rate • Persistent reagents shortage in N. Kivu, large sample backlog (183) SitRep: insp.cd/sitrep-n24-m... Data: 3p5qz2g.s.gy/sitrep-data
DRC Ebola outbreak SitRep 23 update: • 515 total confirmed cases (excluding suspected) • 810 total confirmed + suspected cases (alerts, isolation) • Strange contact tracing data (5157➡️5040 total contacts, 3463➡️2535 contacts reached, 67%➡️50% rate) • Cumulative positivity rate 30.29%, steady decline
Updated with SitRep 22 (June 5) data. Spent a lot of time reviewing/adding historical alerts data (suspected, sampled, isolated). Apologies for all the notes and derived figures, lots of inconsistencies in format and what data is even reported: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Daniel Summers@danielrsummers.bsky.social · 3mo agoI've compiled all of the available SitRep data provided by the DRC Ministry of Health in a spreadsheet here. Some data is derived, and you'll note inconsistencies (internal to SitReps) with reported sampling figures/confirmed, etc. but I did my best to sort it out: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Big jump in confirmed Ebola cases in DRC, 381 ➡️ 452 today, driven largely by increased testing capacity in Ituri province. I've noticed contacts per confirmed case declining consistently since late-May, although contact tracing data only available for 71% of SitReps.
Updated with SitRep 19 data, suspected cases independent of care-statistics (patients in isolation) has dropped off the report so it's unclear whether this is tracked anymore. I'm afraid there may be a significant capacity issue in suspected case identification, bears out with contact tracing %:
Daniel Summers@danielrsummers.bsky.social · 3mo agoI've compiled all of the available SitRep data provided by the DRC Ministry of Health in a spreadsheet here. Some data is derived, and you'll note inconsistencies (internal to SitReps) with reported sampling figures/confirmed, etc. but I did my best to sort it out: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
This is I think a little irresponsible, WHO did not say that, this is simply a reflection of bringing testing capacity online. It actually worries me that so few suspected cases are being identified at the moment. That to me indicates a capacity issue where people who are sick aren't being reached.
Congo's Ebola outbreak is far smaller than initially feared, WHO says
The WHO confirmed 116 suspected Ebola cases in Congo, a sharp cut from previous estimates.
euronews.com
I've compiled all of the available SitRep data provided by the DRC Ministry of Health in a spreadsheet here. Some data is derived, and you'll note inconsistencies (internal to SitReps) with reported sampling figures/confirmed, etc. but I did my best to sort it out: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
DRC Bundibugyo Ebola SitRep Data (2026)
docs.google.com
Uganda MoH confirms 6 new cases of Ebola, all contacts of previously confirmed cases, total now 15:
Reporter from NTV Uganda, 'local transmission' I'm assuming linked to recent healthcare worker cases. Though the 500+ contacts is the first number I've seen regarding contact tracing efforts in Uganda:
In the face of the fastest growing and likely among the worst Ebola outbreaks in history, this is really, really pathetic from the U.S.:
Exclusive: Trump admin policy shutting US disease researchers out of WHO virus response talks | CNN Politics
Officials responsible for leading US research on infectious disease threats have been barred from speaking directly with the World Health Organization – effectively shutting them out of global discus...
cnn.com
Suspected case of Ebola reported in Bengaluru, India in traveller returning from Kampala. This is precautionary like other suspected cases recently in Italy and the Netherlands, and good in that monitoring protocols are working:
Suspected Ebola case triggers health alert in Bengaluru
Health alert issued in Bengaluru after a suspected Ebola case involving a woman from Uganda displays mild symptoms.
thehindu.com
Two more confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda among health workers in a private hospital in Kampala, guessing these were hospital-acquired infections: apnews.com/article/ugan...
Wrote this thread last night to help add context and explain how the U.S. Ebola response is failing right now:
Daniel Summers@danielrsummers.bsky.social · 3mo agoState made another announcement Saturday on Ebola response, mostly bluster, but key points: • Deployed disaster assistance response team • $32M in bilateral assistance to partners (UN + IMC, FHI 360, Medair, Samaritan's Purse) • $50M for OCHA emergency response • $300M for OCHA global pooled fund
State made another announcement Saturday on Ebola response, mostly bluster, but key points: • Deployed disaster assistance response team • $32M in bilateral assistance to partners (UN + IMC, FHI 360, Medair, Samaritan's Purse) • $50M for OCHA emergency response • $300M for OCHA global pooled fund
Ebola Response Update – May 23, 2026 - United States Department of State
The Department of State, in close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — the lead agency for the U.S. Government response, is continuing to mount a rapid and comprehe...
state.gov
Uganda's MoH apparently unaware of US State Department funding Ebola treatment clinics in Uganda through @unocha.org (I'll also believe that when I see it, 'up to' is the operative term)
Estimating the current size of the 2026 DRC Bundibugyo virus outbreak: a joint Bayesian re-analysis of the McCabe et al. report w/ @kathsherratt.bsky.social Sam Brand and @sbfnk.bsky.social
IFRC announced three volunteers tragically were among the first deaths after contracting Ebola while on an unrelated humanitarian mission on March 27, prior to recognition of the outbreak:
Statement: IFRC saddened by the deaths of three DRC Red Cross Volunteers in Ituri Province | IFRC
Kinshasa/Nairobi/Geneva, 23 May 2026: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is deeply saddened by the deaths of three volunteers from the Democratic Republic of t...
ifrc.org
I'm sure this will make the rounds, but when it does remember that this is why building and maintaining local trust is so vital. This is the hard, unsung work of int'l and local health NGOs. Similar outbursts happened at the height of COVID in US hospitals, this is a human problem:
Ebola treatment tent set ablaze again in Congo, with 18 suspected cases leaving | CBC News
An Ebola treatment tent was set on fire, leading 18 patients who are suspected of having Ebola to leave — one day after a tent in another community was burned down. The concerning outbreak is gripping...
cbc.ca
Uganda's Ministry of Health confirms 3 additional cases of Ebola, presumably at least one currently in Kampala (health worker).
Uganda confirms three new Ebola cases
Health ministry says total confirmed infections have risen to five
the-star.co.ke
More Ebola updates: • 2 people quarantined in Kisoro, Uganda, symptoms consistent with Ebola, samples sent to Kasese for analysis • WHO reported an American w/ high risk contact transferred to Czechia • 1 person admitted to hospital in the Netherlands, 'low suspicion', in high level isolation unit
Anyone seen any follow up here? EFE is a reputable newswire service, and a suspected case across the border in South Sudan is a big deal:
Daniel Summers@danielrsummers.bsky.social · 3mo agoSuspected case of Ebola in South Sudan per EFE: "The case was announced yesterday by officials [in Yambio county, Western Equatoria state]... where local authorities indicated that a patient in the Nabiapai area tested positive for Ebola in preliminary tests."
Great piece here on role of US foreign assistance in outbreak prevention, w/ comments from @kgandersen.bsky.social: 'allowing anyone to die “needlessly of a disease that can be stopped is immoral, and we are living in a world where we don’t have to allow infectious diseases to spread unchecked."'
Melody Schreiber@melodyschreiber.com · 3mo agoUS foreign assistance to the DRC dropped from $1.4 billion in 2024 to only $21 million so far this year. Now, we're seeing outbreaks we should have prevented. My latest: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Suspected case of Ebola in South Sudan per EFE: "The case was announced yesterday by officials [in Yambio county, Western Equatoria state]... where local authorities indicated that a patient in the Nabiapai area tested positive for Ebola in preliminary tests."
Sudán del Sur realiza exámenes adicionales para confirmar primer caso sospechoso de ébola
Sudán del Sur realiza exámenes adicionales para confirmar primer caso sospechoso de ébola
infobae.com
A little out of date, but WHO published known geographic distribution of suspected Ebola cases and deaths in this May 18 SITREP. Still very early, likely doesn't capture true geographic extent. That one confirmed case in Goma is very troubling: iris.who.int/server/api/c...
