Four DRC Nurses Formally Discharged After Full Ebola Recovery — Total Survivors Rises to Five

On 1 June 2026, four nurses who had contracted Ebola in eastern DRC were formally discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from Bundibugyo virus disease — a significant milestone in an outbreak for which no licensed vaccine or approved therapeutic exists. The discharge brought total confirmed survivors in the 2026 outbreak to five, following the earlier clearance of a laboratory worker on 29 May. WHO Director-General Tedros had announced the imminent discharges at the 31 May opening of the new Bunia ETC, stating that 'people can recover from Ebola, even when there are no approved treatments.' All five survivors received intensive supportive care — IV fluid rehydration, electrolyte management, and secondary complication treatment — within ETU settings. The nurses are believed to have been infected at peripheral health facilities in Ituri Province where PPE supplies were inadequate. Their recovery provided a morale boost for the response amid community resistance in the Mongbwalu cluster zone. WHO stated: 'More recoveries are expected, especially when people are diagnosed early and able to access care, and as outbreak response intensifies.' Confirmed DRC cases stood at 282 (264 Ituri, 15 Nord-Kivu, 3 Sud-Kivu) as of 1 June, with 42 confirmed DRC deaths and Uganda at 9 confirmed cases with 1 confirmed death.