DRC Ebola outbreak surpasses 3,000 cases as 1,000 new infections hit in ten days

Rapid escalation

The 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, officially declared on 15 May 2026, has entered an acute phase. On Sunday 26 July, Congolese health authorities published data showing 3,075 confirmed cases across five provinces, with 1,354 deaths. The 2,000-case mark was passed on 15 July, meaning close to 1,000 new infections were recorded in the eleven days that followed. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no licensed vaccine or treatment exists. The reported figures imply a case fatality rate of roughly 44%.

“The available data allow us to track the evolution of cases and deaths more precisely, thanks to a concrete improvement in detection and case confirmation.”

Epicentre and operational strain

Ituri province, in the northeastern corner of the country bordering South Sudan and Uganda, is the epicentre. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 90% of all cases are concentrated there. The region has been destabilised by more than 30 years of armed conflict, complicating the health response. In recent days, health workers tasked with the outbreak response have gone on strike in several hospitals, demanding unpaid salaries. Officials expect the crisis to last several months.

Ituri province90%

Other four provinces10%

Ituri province

90 %

Other four provinces

10 %

Data from the article text

Vaccine and treatment race

Because the Bundibugyo strain has no existing countermeasure, health experts and organisations have mobilised to fast-track development. On Friday 24 July, a first volunteer received an experimental vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain, the University of Oxford announced. Several other experimental vaccines are in accelerated development and are expected to enter clinical trial phases soon. Two potential treatments are also under preparation.

Historical weight

Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and causing haemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest outbreak in the DRC occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died out of 3,500 recorded cases. The current outbreak, the country's 17th, is unfolding in a region already scarred by decades of violence, adding to the difficulty of containment.