GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization says parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are showing signs of progress against Ebola. Transmission has fallen in several areas, especially in Ituri province, which remains the outbreak’s main center. National figures through Sept. 13 showed 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths across seven provinces. The country has also recorded 1,726 recoveries, while the overall case fatality ratio stands at 48.4%.
WHO monitors Ebola trends across seven provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (AI-generated image)
South Kivu has reported no new Ebola cases since May, adding to evidence of improvement in some affected areas. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recent trends offered encouraging signs after months of widespread transmission. He also said the outbreak continues to expand and cause deaths. Health authorities have identified cases across 62 health zones, underscoring large differences between provinces. Declining transmission in some locations has occurred alongside sharp increases elsewhere in the country.
Ituri continues to account for the largest share of cases despite a recent slowdown in transmission. Health officials reported about 300 new cases and 160 deaths there during the latest weekly period. Those infections made up close to half of the national total for that period. North Kivu has followed a different pattern. Weekly cases there almost doubled over two weeks, increasing from roughly 100 to more than 200 as response teams monitored expanding transmission.
North Kivu records sharp increase in weekly infections
Authorities declared the current outbreak in mid-May 2026, and laboratory findings identified Bundibugyo virus disease as the cause. The epidemic has since spread across a broad section of the country. Ituri remains the province with the highest cumulative burden, while North Kivu ranks second. Haut-Uélé also continues to record cases. The virus has reached Sud-Ubangi as well, bringing the number of affected provinces to seven and widening the geographic scope of the response.
Clinical research has become another part of the Ebola response as health teams work across affected communities. Trials involving treatments and post-exposure prophylaxis have expanded as participation has increased. WHO and national health authorities also continue surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing, isolation and clinical care. Officials track local trends closely because infection levels differ widely between provinces and health zones. The latest data show that national totals alone do not capture the uneven pattern of transmission.
Health response spans seven affected provinces
National health authorities, WHO, Africa CDC and other partners continue to support frontline teams across affected areas. Insecurity and displacement complicate access in parts of eastern and northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. These conditions can limit surveillance, contact tracing and timely medical care. Response teams also work in mining communities, informal settlements and displacement sites. Some of those locations have limited health services, sanitation and transport links, creating additional operational demands for teams working to contain transmission.
The latest confirmed figures show progress in several locations while the outbreak continues to cause a heavy national toll. South Kivu has remained without new cases for months, and Ituri has recorded lower transmission than earlier in the epidemic. North Kivu, by contrast, continues to report rising weekly infections. Health authorities therefore monitor each province separately as patterns shift across the country. More than 3,500 confirmed deaths and thousands of cases continue to define the scale of the outbreak.