Overview
- The epidemic, first confirmed in mid‑May in Ituri, has grown into a regional crisis with about 9,735 cases and roughly 4,690 deaths concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo as of late October 2026.
- Africa CDC reports a slight downward trend in new infections but says reporting delays and incomplete data make it too early to declare sustained decline.
- Field responders cannot trace roughly half of infections, Médecins Sans Frontières says, and Africa CDC notes about 70% of confirmed cases suffer notification delays with an average four‑day lag from symptom onset to reporting.
- Ongoing rebel violence, attacks on health workers, and crowded camps for nearly five million internally displaced people block access for contact tracing, safe burials and treatment and have forced some NGOs to scale back after funding cuts.
- Cross‑border cases have reached Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria, raising regional risk and underlining that gaps in surveillance, laboratory capacity and international support could prolong the crisis and worsen humanitarian strain.