Overview
- By mid‑July the outbreak had reached about 2,181 confirmed cases and 864 deaths, concentrated in Ituri province which accounts for roughly 90% of infections.
- WHO says more than 80% of newly identified infections are not linked to known contacts, a sign of widespread hidden transmission that is allowing the epidemic to grow faster than tracing teams can follow.
- At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers have been reported and strikes over unpaid salaries have driven many frontline staff to relocate to Bunia, severely limiting access to remote hot spots and safe burials.
- Treatment and lab capacity have been expanded to more than 800 beds and about 16 laboratories, yet several centres remain overcrowded and clinical trials of the monoclonal MBP134 and remdesivir plus vaccine and post‑exposure studies are still experimental.
- Responders face a large funding shortfall and testing gaps that WHO warns may undercount true cases by two‑to‑fourfold, a combination that raises the risk of further spread across provinces and into neighbouring countries.