The latest government data revealed that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed the lives of 2,325 individuals, making it the deadliest in the country’s history, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak. The public health institute of the D.R.C. reported that confirmed cases have now reached 4,945, with 101 new cases identified within the past 24 hours. This outbreak, the 17th in the country, holds the record for the highest number of cases, a milestone achieved in late July.
The total number of fatalities in the current outbreak has exceeded the 2,299 deaths recorded during the 2018-2020 outbreak in Congo, previously the most severe on record. The data also indicates 4,945 confirmed cases. Three months after its official declaration, this outbreak is second in size only to the West Africa Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016, which saw 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.
The Ebola strain causing the current outbreak is Bundibugyo, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The outbreak has intensified since its declaration on May 15 due to weak health infrastructure, community resistance, and instability, hindering effective case identification and response efforts. The case fatality ratio, representing the proportion of deaths after confirmed infections, has risen from approximately 20% in early June to 46%, indicating that almost one in two confirmed cases now results in fatality.
Experts clarify that the increased fatality rate does not suggest the virus has become more lethal but rather highlights ongoing challenges in surveillance, case detection, and access to care. Although experimental vaccines and therapies are under evaluation, with global health authorities exploring potential protection from existing Ebola treatments, evidence remains limited to animal studies.
The outbreak had previously spread to neighboring Uganda, where authorities successfully contained it with only two deaths and 20 confirmed cases before declaring its end last month. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals, living or deceased, and can lead to symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.