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7h ago

DRC Ebola Outbreak Tops 5,000 Cases as WHO Says Epidemic Is Not Under Control

Health officials say the rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment so insecurity and community distrust are blocking efforts to find and care for cases.

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A health worker sprays a colleague with disinfectant after taking part in a burial service for 3-year-old Mave Mercienne, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)
Family and friends gather for a burial service for 3-year-old Mave Mercienne, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)
People dressed in protective gear lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of 6-year-old Baudjo Baraka Jules, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Overview

  • WHO confirmed Tuesday that confirmed cases have passed 5,000 and that more than 2,300 people have died, making this the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC's history.
  • Genetic sequencing shows transmission began months before the May declaration, which let chains of infection expand before response teams could contain them.
  • Response teams are scaling up with about 100 additional epidemiologists, more than 500 community health workers and roughly 400 extra beds, but attacks on health teams and unpaid strikes are disrupting operations.
  • Because existing vaccines and antibody therapies target other Ebola strains, researchers have started accelerated trials of experimental vaccines and treatments but results and wide rollout are likely months away.
  • WHO is prioritizing community-led measures such as recruiting motorbike riders as surveillance partners to reach mobile and hard-to-access populations, a move driven by intense population movement around mines and rivers that has spread the virus.