Ebola outbreak becomes deadliest in DR Congo’s history

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest the country has ever recorded, with at least 2,325 people now reported to have died.

The latest figures, reported on 16 August, show 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths. The death toll has now surpassed the 2,299 people who died during the country’s previous worst Ebola outbreak between 2018 and 2020.

The current outbreak was officially declared on 15 May 2026 and is the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in DR Congo since the virus was first identified in 1976. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern two days later.

The outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. Unlike the Zaire species responsible for some previous outbreaks, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola, although potential vaccines and treatments are being evaluated.

The outbreak has spread across six provinces, with Ituri province the worst affected. Cases have also crossed the border into neighbouring Uganda, although Uganda declared the end of its outbreak on 28 July after reporting 20 confirmed cases and two deaths.

Health teams in DR Congo are working in extremely difficult conditions. Ongoing conflict and population displacement, poor infrastructure, difficulties tracing contacts and delays in identifying and treating people with Ebola have all complicated efforts to control transmission.

The scale and speed of the outbreak are particularly concerning. More than 2,000 deaths were recorded in less than three months, making it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. It is now the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak globally, behind only the 2014–2016 West African epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people.

WHO is supporting authorities in DR Congo with surveillance, contact tracing, clinical care, medical supplies, infection prevention and control, community engagement and cross-border preparedness as efforts continue to bring the outbreak under control.

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