The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country's history, with over 2,300 deaths and nearly 5,000 confirmed cases. Vaccine shortages and the rapid spread are raising global concern.
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed 2,325 lives, surpassing the death toll of the 2018-2020 outbreak and becoming the deadliest in the country's history. The figures were released on Sunday by the Congolese Institute for Public Health, as reported by BBC World.
In its latest report, the institute stated that the number of confirmed cases has risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the last 24 hours. The epidemic was officially declared on May 15, 2026.
This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in Congo since the virus was discovered 50 years ago. In terms of case numbers, it had already become the largest in the country's history, reaching that milestone in late July 2026.
Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian chief, warned last week that "the epidemic is killing someone every 30 minutes." The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the speed of the virus's spread as "extraordinary."
The current outbreak is surpassed in scale only by the one in West Africa in 2014-2016, during which 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were recorded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to WHO data.
According to Reuters, it took nearly five months from the declaration of the West African outbreak for the death toll to reach 1,000, while the current outbreak in Congo reached 2,000 deaths in less than three months. The virus has spread to six of the country's 26 provinces.
Outside Congo, a relatively small number of cases have been recorded. As of August 12, 2026, 20 cases have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, two people have been treated in Germany, and one case has been reported in France.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. This strain is extremely rare, with only two known previous outbreaks.
The UK medicines regulator, MHRA, has given permission for the first human trials of a vaccine. The vaccine is being developed by a team at the University of Oxford, based on the same technology used for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. Three other groups are developing different vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain.
The WHO is also sponsoring a separate clinical trial in Congo to determine whether two existing antiviral drugs can improve survival rates. The organization hopes to reverse the spread of the disease within three months, with the caveat that this means bringing transmission under control, not a complete end to the outbreak.
Ebola symptoms, similar to flu or malaria, include fever, headache, and fatigue, and can appear suddenly within two to 21 days of infection. The virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
