Overview
- On Friday, August 21, 2026, UN Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis said the outbreak has caused more than 2,500 deaths and is accelerating at an exponential pace.
- The epidemic now covers a geographic area larger than France with roughly half of the recorded deaths occurring in the previous 20 days and at least 5,000 cases reported.
- There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain driving this surge, so 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which is licensed for the Zaire strain, have been sent to the DRC for evaluation and clinical trials are under way.
- Response efforts are underfunded and disorganized, and operations are being hampered by community distrust, attacks that have killed dozens of health workers, and the activity of armed groups that block access to affected communities.
- UN agencies and Médecins Sans Frontières warn that without rapid scaling of surveillance, safe isolation, contact follow-up, staffing, and resources the outbreak will likely cause more deaths and could cross borders, so officials say increased international support is urgent.