Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country's history

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially become the deadliest in the country's history, killing 2,325 people and infecting nearly 5,000. Driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain, which lacks approved vaccines, the epidemic is doubling every 20 days. Response efforts are severely hindered by contact tracing failures, unpaid health worker strikes, and critical shortages of treatment beds in North Kivu, prompting the UN to allocate $30.5 million in emergency funds.

DR Congo Ebola deaths

• ▪The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
• ▪The case fatality ratio for the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak rose from approximately 20 percent in early June 2026 to 46 percent by August 16, 2026.
• ▪The Democratic Republic of the Congo's National Public Health Institute reported that confirmed Ebola infections rose to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in a 24-hour period ending August 16, 2026.
• ▪The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 2,325 people, surpassing the 2,299 deaths from the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country's history.

Contact tracing failures

• ▪Frequent population movements linked to mining and conflict, along with poor roads and insecurity, hinder surveillance teams from tracking Ebola contacts in Ituri province.
• ▪Between 60 percent and 70 percent of new Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are detected among people who were not already being monitored as contacts.
• ▪Community health surveillance teams in Nizi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, receive an average of 60 to 70 Ebola alerts daily but lack basic protective equipment like boots and disinfectant.

Health worker infections

• ▪Health workers at the Nizi Treatment Center in Ituri province went on strike and temporarily closed the facility on August 13, 2026, over unpaid salaries spanning more than three months.
• ▪The World Health Organization reported that the Ebola virus had infected at least 155 health workers and killed 45 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by August 9, 2026.

UN emergency funding

• ▪United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced an additional $30.5 million in emergency funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund on August 14, 2026, to tackle the Ebola outbreak.
• ▪The United Nations deployed 20 additional humanitarian staff to the Ebola outbreak's epicentre, while the World Food Programme expanded food assistance at treatment centres by August 17, 2026.

Treatment capacity shortages

• ▪Dedicated beds for suspected Ebola patients in North Kivu province were fully occupied by August 15, 2026, forcing isolation in non-designated transit facilities.
• ▪Doctors Without Borders reported that resources mobilized against Ebola risk neglecting other health emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including measles and cholera.

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