Overview
- A Sept. 26 situation update showed 8,067 confirmed cases and 3,901 deaths across 63 health zones in seven provinces, giving a case fatality rate near 48 percent.
- The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain for which there is no licensed vaccine or proven treatment, and multiple experimental vaccine and therapy trials are under way but supplies are limited.
- The World Health Organization says Congo is running short of trained health workers because of delayed pay, strikes and infections, with about 50 health workers reported dead and many Ebola treatment units lacking staff to operate fully.
- Violence, mistrust and mass displacement are disrupting surveillance and safe burials, contact tracing has fallen to roughly 79 percent, and a local politician who promoted prevention on radio was beaten and later died, illustrating community hostility.
- International assistance has risen, including a new US$267 million U.S. commitment, but agencies warn sustained multi‑billion dollar funding, community‑centred operations and secure access are needed to change the epidemic’s course and reduce the risk of wider spread.