DR Congo Records Up To 80 New Ebola Cases Daily, Death Toll Nears 5,000 – WHO
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently experiencing a significant rise in Ebola cases, with health officials reporting between 50 and 80 new confirmed cases each day. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme, revealed this information during a Wednesday interview with ARISE NEWS. The ongoing outbreak has resulted in approximately 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
Ihekweazu described the situation as critical, indicating that the majority of new infections are occurring in the eastern regions of the country. “The outbreak has now reached 10,000 cases and is close to 5,000 deaths,” he stated. The outbreak has affected eight provinces, encompassing an area larger than 1,000 square kilometers, and has persisted for six months since its official declaration on May 15, 2026.
The current health crisis primarily impacts the Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where challenges such as insecurity and inadequate health infrastructure have hindered containment efforts. This outbreak marks the 17th recorded in the country and is nearing the death toll of the deadliest previous outbreak from 2018 to 2020, which resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths from about 3,500 cases.
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported a fatality rate of 45.9 percent in data released in August. At that time, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba cautioned that the outbreak had not yet peaked.
Concerns have also arisen regarding unreported cases, with the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, indicating that a significant proportion of infected individuals, approximately 70 percent, are dying at home without receiving medical attention. “We are only seeing 30 percent of infected individuals,” he noted, adding that this aspect distinguishes the current outbreak.
The availability of vaccines has also become a pressing issue, as there is no approved vaccine specifically for the Bundibugyo strain linked to this outbreak. WHO vaccine experts have suggested conducting human trials to assess whether the approved Ervebo vaccine, effective against the more prevalent Zaire strain, could offer protection against the Bundibugyo strain. The Gavi global vaccine alliance has announced that doses from its stockpile will be allocated for these trials, with some already on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
