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. According to government data, there have been 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths as of Aug. 16. Over the previous 24 hours, health authorities recorded 101 new confirmed infections. The death toll has now exceeded the 2,299 fatalities documented during the Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020.
These latest figures heighten concerns that had already been raised days earlier, as both infections and fatalities continued to rise throughout eastern DRC. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that the virus was claiming one life every 30 minutes. Since the outbreak was officially declared in May, it has expanded at an unprecedented rate. By late July, confirmed cases had already surpassed the total recorded during the 2018 to 2020 Ebola outbreak, making this the largest epidemic in the country by case count.
The government announced the outbreak on May 15, following laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease. It marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. The World Health Organization designated this emergency as a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. Medical teams depend on early detection, supportive care, isolation, contact tracing, and strict infection control measures.
Six Provinces Affected as Cases Surge
By August 12, the outbreak had spread across 54 health zones within six provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. The latest province affected was Bas-Uélé, where authorities confirmed a case in the Buta health zone. The patient had traveled from Haut-Uélé prior to developing symptoms. Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for approximately 85% of confirmed cases nationwide at that point.
The epidemic has also impacted health personnel and exerted additional pressure on healthcare services in the affected regions. As of Aug. 9, at least 155 infections among health workers had been verified, including 45 fatalities. By Aug. 12, 965 patients had recovered. Medical teams tracked more than 17,000 contacts out of roughly 20,700 identified during the latest update. Challenges such as insecurity, population displacement, and attacks on health facilities have hindered surveillance, treatment efforts, and contact tracing.
Response Efforts Accelerate as Death Toll Reaches Record High
In response, national health authorities have ramped up testing, surveillance, and treatment capabilities across affected zones. Response teams are also conducting training for medical staff and reinforcing infection prevention protocols at healthcare centers. Efforts continue in contact tracing, laboratory testing, safe burials, and community outreach initiatives. Researchers are investigating experimental vaccines and therapies, though none have yet been approved for the Bundibugyo strain. A clinical trial testing potential treatments began enrolling confirmed patients in Ituri during July, as the emergency response scaled up.
The outbreak has extended beyond the DRC borders, with Uganda reporting 20 cases and two deaths, while health authorities maintained enhanced surveillance after discharging their last patient in July. France recorded one imported case, with no secondary transmission documented. Currently, the DRC epidemic ranks second worldwide in total deaths caused by Ebola, behind only the 2014 to 2016 West Africa outbreak, which resulted in 11,310 deaths and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
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