Overview
- Government and WHO data show the outbreak has exceeded 5,000 confirmed cases with roughly 2,320–2,480 deaths, making this the deadliest Ebola epidemic in DRC history.
- WHO Director-General Tedros told an emergency meeting that the epidemic is far from under control and is spreading at an unprecedented pace, a warning repeated in public briefings on Tuesday.
- Health agencies are scaling operations by adding about 400 beds recently, planning deployment of 100 additional epidemiologists, recruiting 500+ community workers, and expanding community engagement using motorbike riders as surveillance partners.
- The International Coordinating Group and WHO allocated 70,000 doses of Merck’s Ervebo vaccine for DRC use, with 20,000 doses set aside for a late-stage trial because Ervebo’s protection against Bundibugyo is unknown.
- Response efforts remain constrained by armed attacks on teams and vehicles, widespread community resistance, and failing surveillance that finds about 60–70% of new cases outside monitored contact lists, which sustains hidden chains of transmission.