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 past 24 hours, authorities identified 101 additional confirmed infections. The death toll now 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 approximately one life every 30 minutes. Case counts had already exceeded the total from the 2018 to 2020 outbreak before the latest figures were released. Health officials have reported infections in 54 health zones across six provinces, with Ituri remaining the primary transmission hub, accounting for most confirmed cases.
The current outbreak was officially announced on May 15 after laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease. This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. On May 17, the World Health Organization classified this as a public health emergency of international concern. There is no licensed vaccine or approved specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease; instead, medical teams rely on supportive care, isolation, testing, contact tracing, and infection prevention measures.
Ebola Spreading to Six DRC Provinces
The outbreak has now affected Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé provinces. Bas-Uélé became the sixth affected region after authorities confirmed a case in the Buta health zone. The patient had traveled from Haut-Uélé prior to developing symptoms. By Aug. 12, health officials had recorded 965 recoveries nationwide. Response teams are also monitoring thousands of contacts linked to confirmed cases as they attempt to identify new chains of transmission.
Medical personnel have encountered direct exposure risks while treating patients and supporting containment efforts. As of Aug. 9, at least 155 health worker infections had been confirmed, with 45 resulting in death. Challenges such as insecurity and population displacement have hampered medical operations in several affected regions. Attacks on health facilities have further disrupted surveillance and treatment activities in eastern DRC. The World Health Organization has provided assistance with testing, infection control, case management, and other response strategies alongside national health agencies.
Efforts Intensify as Ebola Death Toll Surpasses Previous High
Increased laboratory testing, enhanced surveillance, and expanded treatment capacities are underway across the impacted provinces. Teams persist in tracing contacts, managing confirmed cases, and conducting safe burials. Community outreach initiatives continue actively in regions with ongoing transmission. Researchers are also investigating experimental vaccines and therapies for Bundibugyo virus disease, with a clinical trial starting in July to enroll confirmed patients in Ituri. These potential treatments have not yet received approval for widespread use against the virus.
Cases outside the DRC have also been confirmed, including 20 in Uganda with two deaths before its last patient was discharged in July. France reported a single imported case without documented secondary transmission. Currently, the DRC outbreak ranks second globally in Ebola deaths, following the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic, which caused 11,310 fatalities and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to official records.