KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history. As of Aug. 16, government data indicated 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths. In the previous 24 hours, authorities reported 101 new confirmed infections. The current death toll surpasses the 2,299 fatalities recorded during the Ebola epidemic from 2018 to 2020 in the country.
Since its declaration in May, the outbreak has continued to expand throughout eastern DRC. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that Ebola was claiming roughly one life every 30 minutes. The total case count had already exceeded the number from the 2018-2020 outbreak before the latest figures were released. Health officials have confirmed cases across 54 health zones in six provinces. Ituri remains the primary transmission hub, accounting for most confirmed instances.
The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15 following laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease. It represents the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. On May 17, the World Health Organization designated the situation a public health emergency of international concern. No licensed vaccine or specific approved treatment exists for Bundibugyo virus disease. Instead, medical teams rely on supportive care, isolation, testing, contact tracing, and infection control protocols.
Ebola epidemic extends to six provinces within DRC
Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé provinces have all reported cases. Bas-Uélé became the sixth province affected when officials confirmed a case in the Buta health zone, involving a patient who traveled from Haut-Uélé before symptoms appeared. By Aug. 12, health authorities recorded 965 recoveries nationwide. Response teams are also monitoring thousands of contacts of confirmed patients as they work to identify new transmission pathways.
Healthcare workers have been directly exposed while treating patients and supporting outbreak containment. As of Aug. 9, authorities confirmed at least 155 infections among health workers, including 45 deaths. Difficulties posed by insecurity and population displacement have hampered medical operations in several affected areas. Attacks on health facilities have also disrupted surveillance and treatment efforts in parts of eastern DRC. The World Health Organization has contributed to testing, infection control, case management, and other response activities alongside local health authorities.
Escalating Response as Ebola Death Toll Breaks Previous Records
Health officials have ramped up laboratory testing, surveillance, and treatment capabilities across the affected provinces. Teams continue contact tracing, managing confirmed cases, and conducting safe burials. Community outreach remains integral to the ongoing response in areas with active transmission. Researchers are also exploring experimental vaccines and therapies for Bundibugyo virus disease. A clinical trial involving potential treatments began enrolling confirmed patients in Ituri in July. These products have not yet received approval for routine use against the virus.
Confirmed cases outside the DRC include 20 cases and two deaths in Uganda, which discharged its last patient in July. France has reported one imported case with no documented secondary transmission. The DRC outbreak now ranks as the second deadliest globally after the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic, which resulted in 11,310 deaths and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to historical outbreak data.