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2h ago

DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Becomes Country’s Deadliest

The rare Bundibugyo strain has no licensed vaccine or proven treatment, forcing rushed trials as international agencies press for a rapid, large‑scale escalation of response.

People dressed in protective gear lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of Jeannine Katusabe, who died of Ebola, during a burial service in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Passengers who disembarked from a boat intercepted by health authorities wait to be tested following the death of a passenger suspected of having Ebola, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 6, 2026. Authorities said the passenger had disembarked earlier in the city. REUTERS/Benoit Nyemba/File Photo
Volunteers place the coffin of a 3-year-old child, presumed to have died of Ebola virus disease, during his funeral at a cemetery in Bunia on June 11.
Members of the Civil Protection team, which works to help mitigate the spread of the Ebola virus, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfect after handling the body of an unidentified man, who according to his family, died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 10, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo

Overview

  • Government data showed on Sunday that confirmed cases reached 4,945 and deaths climbed to 2,325, surpassing the toll from the 2018–2020 outbreak and making this the deadliest Ebola crisis in DRC history.
  • The outbreak is driven by the uncommon Bundibugyo Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccines or proven therapies, so responders are testing experimental vaccines and treatments with results expected only after months.
  • Surveillance and case finding are lagging: about two-thirds of deaths are happening in the community and many new cases are detected outside contact lists, indicating widespread undetected transmission.
  • Response operations are strained by armed conflict, community mistrust, unpaid health‑worker strikes, poor roads and cuts to aid, and the WHO and UN say a major rapid scale‑up of teams, treatment beds and safe‑burial capacity is urgently needed.
  • If transmission is not brought under control quickly the outbreak could last many months and risk wider regional spread, while experts note genetic analyses suggest the virus circulated for weeks to months before the May 15 declaration.