2026 Congo Ebola outbreak
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
DR Congo begins vaccination against largest Ebola outbreak
The vaccine used in the outbreak has not been proven effective against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The Bundibugyo strain has killed 2,786 people out of 5,795 confirmed cases since May.
DR Congo has begun vaccinating against its largest and deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak.
Congo launches Ebola vaccination drive
The Democratic Republic of Congo is launching an Ebola vaccination campaign.
The vaccination campaign is using a vaccine for a different strain of the Ebola virus.
There is no vaccine yet for the outbreak's Bundibugyo variant.
Ebola spreads to two new zones in DRC; 60 areas now affected
The Bundibugyo strain is rarer than the virus type behind most past outbreaks.
The Ebola outbreak has reached two new health zones in eastern DRC, bringing the total number of affected areas to 60.
Efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered by armed conflict, displacement, attacks on medical personnel and facilities, a mobile working population, and a lack of critical infrastructure.
Ebola spreads to two new zones in DRC
The overall fatality rate for the outbreak is 48 percent.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the DRC Ebola outbreak is the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded.
MSF has 1,400 staff in DRC supporting the Ebola response and operates treatment centres with a total of 400 beds.
Congo begins vaccinations against fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history
WHO said the Central African Republic is considered the country at highest risk of spillover, followed closely by South Sudan.
Officials believe the outbreak had been spreading since February, though it was declared in mid-May.
Government figures published on Friday recorded 5,794 confirmed Ebola cases, including 2,786 deaths.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Uganda over
Atwine called on countries that had imposed travel restrictions on Uganda during the outbreak to lift them.
Uganda announced it would open two additional Ebola treatment centres in the DRC, bringing the total to four.
WHO made the announcement at a joint news conference with Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
Congo Ebola outbreak records one of its highest weekly death tolls
This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
Nearly half of people infected have died, a fatality rate of 47.9%.
Experts believe the virus was spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February.
Ebola cases in DRC reach 5,515; Pope Leo urges global action
Pope Leo urged the international community to respond in a way that involves local communities in prevention efforts to save as many lives as possible.
The WHO has pledged 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine.
Contact tracing has improved from 30 percent in June to more than 85 percent.
Ebola cases in DRC reach 5,515 as Pope Leo urges global action
Some 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine arrived in the DRC on Friday.
Contact tracing has improved from 30 percent in June to more than 85 percent.
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has reached 5,515 confirmed cases of infection and killed 2,642 people.
Public health analysis examines strategies to control Bundibugyo Ebola strain
The WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and the Africa CDC declared it a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared its 17th Ebola outbreak following confirmation of the Bundibugyo virus.
As of August 21, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths across 56 health zones.
DR Congo Receives Over 16,000 Doses of Ervebo Ebola Vaccine
Samuel Roger Kamba is the DRC's health minister.
The remainder of the 70,000 doses is allocated to front-line health workers.
The outbreak was declared in mid-May.
“on a very large scale”
Shipment of 16,000 Ervebo Ebola Vaccines Arrives in DR Congo
Health authorities have warned that approximately one person has been dying from Ebola every thirty minutes during the outbreak in the DRC.
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has killed more than 2,500 people out of nearly 5,300 confirmed cases.
The WHO stated that 20,000 of the 70,000 doses will be used in a late-stage clinical trial testing the vaccine's effect on the Bundibugyo strain, with the remainder allocated to front-line and health workers.
“on a very large scale”
WHO and UN Warn of Accelerating Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo as Death Toll Exceeds 2,500
Over 160 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola, leading to 43 deaths among them.
More than 260 attacks on healthcare workers have been reported in the past six months, resulting in eight deaths.
More than 2,500 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,”
UN warns DRC Ebola outbreak is growing exponentially
The WHO's vaccine allocation consists of 20,000 doses for a Phase 3 clinical trial and 50,000 doses for frontline and healthcare workers.
The current outbreak has resulted in more than 2,500 deaths from over 5,000 infections.
The first infections were detected in Ituri province, and the virus has spread to five other provinces and Uganda.
“It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,”
DR Congo Initiates Clinical Ebola Vaccine Trial Amid Rapid Infection Spread
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing to roll out an Ebola vaccine, with part of the doses being used in a trial against the Bundibugyo species.
Nearly 2,500 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak declared three months ago in DR Congo.
Shared taxis and passenger boats between government-held and rebel-held zones in North Kivu province are suspended for one month starting on Saturday.
“It is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,”
DR Congo Receives 70,000 Ervebo Ebola Vaccine Doses
“early laboratory and animal data suggest it may provide some protection.”
WHO Warns DRC Ebola Outbreak Is Outpacing Containment Efforts
“Instead of telling us that we have experience in responding to Ebola outbreaks, the fundamental question is rather what the state is doing to anticipate the challenges posed by Ebola and adapt its response. With Ebola, every hour counts. We know the consequences of late detection. Unfortunately, we are in a situation where the outbreak is spreading faster than our ability to contain it,”
DR Congo to receive 70,000 doses of Ervebo vaccine as Ebola infections surge
“Our senior Ebola coordinator on the ground, Julian Harneis, said the government and our partners are scaling up the response with five operational priorities, including tripling safe care capacity, strengthening community engagement, doubling the number of safe and dignified burial teams and expanding disease surveillance and increasing support for the most vulnerable,”
Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 5,000 Cases
“We must be frank: The epidemic is far from being under control,”
Editorial on Ebola outbreak in DRC and international aid
USAID led efforts to train local health workers, pursue contact tracing and implement a vaccination programme during the 2014 outbreak
Elon Musk, as de facto head of the now defunct "department of government efficiency", implemented cuts that led to the dismantling of USAID
The Guardian editorial said European countries including Britain, Germany and France have been cutting back on international aid
Ebola outbreak in the DRC
Congo Ebola outbreak becomes country's deadliest
Newport said some families have lost up to 15 relatives in the epicenter, Ituri province
Experts believe the virus was spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15
WHO warned that the outbreak reached a weekly record of 579 cases and 304 deaths in the previous week
“need to be involved in the response, and they need to know what the signs and symptoms are and what to do if they get sick. And this today is not happening in every single place where there are Ebola cases.”
Ebola outbreak in Congo accelerates, overwhelming health workers
Many infections originate from funerals.
A boat was stopped at the port of Maluku, about 65 kilometers upstream from Kinshasa, after a passenger presented with Ebola symptoms.
Carlos Mupili is the president of the Supreme Council of Civil Society.
Congo Ebola cases rising at record pace
The epicenter of the outbreak was identified as the northeastern province of Ituri.
Authorities officially announced the outbreak on May 15.
More than 200 passengers from the vessel were placed in isolation and tested using a mobile laboratory, with results coming back negative.
DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth province
The current outbreak was formally declared on May 15 but the virus had begun circulating in February.
Jean Kaseya warned that if the outbreak is not stopped, it will last more than a year and will be the largest in the world.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for this outbreak.
“If we do not stop this outbreak, it will last more than a year and will be the largest in the world,”
DR Congo Ebola outbreak set to become deadliest on record, WHO warns
The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
Containment efforts have been hampered by the region's remoteness, ongoing conflict, weak infrastructure, under-resourced clinics, circulating misinformation, and strikes by health workers over unpaid wages.
Genetic sequencing revealed the Ebola virus had begun circulating in February, months before the outbreak was officially declared.
Congo Ebola outbreak becomes fastest-growing in history with 2,000 deaths
The current outbreak was declared on May 15.
At least 2,000 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak.
The current outbreak is the second-largest in history.
WHO reports Congo Ebola outbreak began months before declaration
The rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak has no approved vaccines or treatments.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15.
WHO assesses the global risk of spread of this Ebola outbreak as low.
Congo Ebola health workers protest unpaid wages, disrupting response
The health workers said they have not received wages and bonuses for their work fighting Ebola since the outbreak was declared in mid-May.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged Congolese authorities to prioritize care and support for the responders during his visit to Congo on Wednesday.
Doctors Without Borders said the outbreak is still spreading at an alarming and unprecedented rate and that the response is still not reaching communities quickly enough to break transmission chains.
WHO chief visits Congo to support Ebola efforts as workers strike over pay
U.S. direct assistance for the outbreak has exceeded $512 million.
Late detection of cases has contributed to a 45% fatality rate.
The Bundibugyo virus causing this outbreak has no approved treatment or vaccine.
Ebola outbreak in Congo causes pregnant women to avoid hospitals
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has caused more than 1,600 confirmed deaths.
This type of Ebola has no approved treatment or vaccine.
Maternal mortality in Ituri province roughly doubled after the Ebola outbreak was declared.
“Right now, if you feel sick and go to the hospital, they say it’s Ebola and they put you in quarantine right away. That’s what scares people,”
Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in DR Congo becomes worst ever, death toll passes 1,500
The WHO says the global risk of spread remains low because Ebola does not travel through the air.
Kaseya said deaths outside treatment centers are largely due to the unsafe handling of infected bodies by residents.
Ituri province accounts for nearly 90% of cases.
Ebola cases in Congo top 3,200, nearing record of worst outbreak
The current outbreak was declared on May 15.
Uganda has insisted that its Ebola cases were imported from Congo.
The 2018-2020 outbreak in Congo and neighboring Uganda had more than 3,400 reported cases and over 2,200 deaths.
Ebola deaths in DRC surge past 1,300 as virus spreads rapidly
Contact tracing reaches roughly 80 percent of known contacts in the DRC Ebola outbreak.
The DRC Ebola epidemic is the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever documented.
The Ebola variant spreading in the DRC is Bundibugyo, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
DRC health workers report unpaid hardship amid Ebola spread
Health worker Paluku Audrey said her salaries have not been paid since she started work in May and she does not know the exact pay.
The epicentre of the outbreak is Ituri province, near the Ugandan border.
Ghislain Maneba said health workers have been given some protective equipment but it is not sufficient.
Ebola outbreak death toll rises to 930, spreading at record pace
The Ebola outbreak is spreading at record pace.
The Ebola death toll has risen to 930.
Safety fears limit Ebola response in Congo amid repeated attacks
Residents in the town of Nyakunde attacked a hospital and touched an Ebola treatment center nearby on Wednesday.
At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers have been recorded during Congo's Ebola outbreak.
Pierre Akilimali said many of the attacks have been carried out by angry mobs who have stormed treatment centers or targeted response teams in the field.
Ebola cases in Congo exceed 2,000 as more health workers strike
Health workers at Bunia General Hospital went on strike Wednesday over payment issues.
Health authorities have yet to identify the outbreak's patient zero.
Some health workers have told The Associated Press they have not received any payment since they started work at the onset of the outbreak.
U.S. citizen tests positive for Ebola in DR Congo; second American evacuated to Germany
This was the second American infected amid the DRC Ebola outbreak and sent to Germany rather than the US.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO had provided clinical care for the infected American before the patient was transferred to Germany.
As of July 12, the DRC had reported 1,926 cases and 702 deaths in the outbreak.
US citizen tests positive for Ebola while working in Congo outbreak
The CDC identified the positive test as Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola.
This is the second U.S. citizen to test positive for Ebola during the current outbreak.
No Ebola cases have been detected in the U.S.
Ebola health workers in Congo strike over pay as deaths near 600
The last time the CDC had a level 1 activation was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when the agency had more than 3,000 additional staff working on response.
The Ebola outbreak is designated as a level 1 response for the CDC, requiring the largest number of staff possible to work 24/7.
Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya said the outbreak is already the third-largest in history and that the CDC's involvement will last for several months and require more personnel.
“We are doing everything we can to make the public understand how dangerous this disease is. I came here to save people’s lives, but this is how I am being thanked. We are working day and night without being paid,”
New Ebola treatment trial begins in eastern Congo
The study is currently being offered only at Bunia's Evangelical Medical Centre in Ituri.
A second phase of the trial will include healthcare workers, close contacts and others at high risk of infection.
Survival will be tracked for 28 days after starting treatment.
Ebola treatment trial begins as Congo outbreak worsens
The current outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo began in May.
The M23 rebel group is in control of large parts of both North and South Kivu.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the first patient has been enrolled in DR Congo.