KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – Ebola has become the deadliest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s history. According to government reports, as of Aug. 16, there have been 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 fatalities. In the past 24 hours, health officials documented 101 new confirmed infections. The death toll has now exceeded the 2,299 deaths recorded during the Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in the country.
These recent figures increase concerns that had been raised days earlier as both infections and fatalities kept rising across eastern DRC. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that the virus was claiming one life every 30 minutes. Since the outbreak was officially announced in May, its spread has accelerated at an extraordinary rate. By late July, confirmed cases had already surpassed the total from the 2018 to 2020 outbreak, making this epidemic the largest in the country by the number of cases.
The outbreak was declared on May 15 after laboratory tests confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease. This marks the 17th known Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. The World Health Organization categorized the situation as a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. No approved vaccine or specific treatment currently exists for Bundibugyo virus disease. Medical teams are relying on early detection, supportive care, isolation protocols, contact tracing, and infection control measures.
Six provinces affected as case numbers escalate
By Aug. 12, the outbreak had spread to 54 health zones within six provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. The latest province to be affected was Bas-Uélé, after authorities confirmed a case in the Buta health zone. The patient had traveled from Haut-Uélé before developing symptoms. Ituri remained the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for roughly 85% of confirmed cases nationwide at that point.
The epidemic has also impacted healthcare workers and intensified the strain on medical services in affected regions. As of Aug. 9, authorities confirmed at least 155 infections among health workers, with 45 resulting in death. By Aug. 12, 965 patients had recovered. The health teams tracked more than 17,000 contacts out of approximately 20,700 identified during the latest reporting period. Challenges such as insecurity, population displacement, and attacks on health facilities have hampered surveillance, treatment, and contact tracing efforts.
Enhanced health measures as fatalities hit record levels
National health authorities are expanding testing, surveillance, and treatment capacities across affected zones. They are also providing training for medical personnel and reinforcing infection prevention protocols at healthcare facilities. Efforts include ongoing contact tracing, laboratory testing, safe burial procedures, and community outreach initiatives. Researchers are investigating experimental vaccines and therapies; however, none have yet received approval for Bundibugyo virus disease. A clinical trial for potential treatments began enrolling confirmed patients in Ituri in July, as the emergency response efforts broadened.
The outbreak has extended beyond the DRC borders, with Uganda reporting 20 cases and two deaths, while maintaining heightened monitoring after discharging its last patient in July. France also identified one imported case, with no documented secondary transmissions. Currently, the DRC epidemic ranks second only to the 2014 to 2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic in total global deaths, which caused 11,310 fatalities and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
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