KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest the country has recorded. Government figures showed 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths as of Aug. 16. Authorities added 101 confirmed infections during the previous 24 hours. The latest death toll exceeds the 2,299 fatalities recorded during the 2018 to 2020 Ebola epidemic in the country.
Health teams respond as the DRC Ebola outbreak reaches a record national death toll. (AI-generated image)
The outbreak has continued to spread across eastern DRC since authorities declared it in May. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Ebola was killing about one person every 30 minutes. Case numbers had already passed the total from the 2018 to 2020 outbreak before the latest update. Health authorities have reported infections across 54 health zones in six provinces. Ituri has remained the main center of transmission, accounting for most confirmed cases.
Authorities declared the current outbreak on May 15 after laboratory tests confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease. It marks the DRC’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976. The World Health Organization classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. No licensed vaccine or approved specific treatment exists for Bundibugyo virus disease. Medical teams instead use supportive care, isolation, testing, contact tracing and infection prevention measures.
Ebola outbreak spreads across six DRC provinces
The outbreak has reached Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo and Bas-Uélé provinces. Bas-Uélé became the sixth affected province after officials confirmed a case in the Buta health zone. The patient had traveled from Haut-Uélé before symptoms developed. By Aug. 12, health authorities had recorded 965 recoveries nationwide. Response teams were also monitoring thousands of people who had contact with confirmed patients as they worked to identify new transmission chains.
Health workers have faced direct exposure while treating patients and supporting outbreak control efforts. Authorities had confirmed at least 155 infections among health workers by Aug. 9, including 45 deaths. Insecurity and population displacement have complicated medical operations in several affected areas. Attacks on health facilities have also disrupted surveillance and treatment in parts of eastern DRC. The World Health Organization has supported testing, infection control, case management and other response measures alongside national health authorities.
Response expands as Ebola deaths surpass previous record
Health officials have increased laboratory testing, surveillance and treatment capacity across affected provinces. Teams continue to trace contacts, manage confirmed cases and carry out safe burial procedures. Community outreach remains part of the response in areas with active transmission. Researchers are also studying experimental vaccines and treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease. A clinical study involving potential therapies began enrolling confirmed patients in Ituri in July. Those products have not received approval for routine use against the virus.
The outbreak has also produced confirmed cases outside the DRC. Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths before discharging its last patient in July. France reported one imported case without documented secondary transmission. The DRC outbreak now ranks second globally in Ebola deaths after the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic. That crisis caused 11,310 deaths and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to established outbreak records.