The outbreak has escalated dramatically, with cases increasing by over 1,000 in just ten days as it spreads across five provinces.
By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP, and Reuters
Published On 27 Jul 2026
Government data reveals that the number of individuals infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 3,200, including at least 1,405 fatalities.
This data was disclosed on Sunday as healthcare workers continue to struggle against the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak, with transmission accelerating to approximately 1,000 new cases over the past ten days.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly 90 percent of cases have been concentrated in the northeastern province of Ituri, which shares borders with South Sudan and Uganda.
The United Nations health agency confirms that the virus has now reached five provinces, including two newly affected areas where it has recently expanded.
“In many instances, the humanitarian community wishes to assist, but the most significant obstacle is simply reaching affected areas,” stated Hedley Tah of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which transports medical personnel and response teams to crisis zones.
Beyond deploying aid workers to impacted regions, Tah noted that UNHAS is also “transporting samples for laboratory testing to maintain continuous traceability.”
Officials have credited enhanced detection and testing capabilities with facilitating the identification of a greater number of infections.
Health authorities anticipate the outbreak could persist for several additional months, a timeline complicated by strikes from healthcare workers demanding unpaid wages, which have disrupted emergency response operations at various hospitals.
Transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids and characterized by severe hemorrhagic fever, the Ebola virus has claimed over 15,000 lives across the African continent over the past half-century.
Researchers are racing to develop effective vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo strain, with Oxford University announcing on Friday that the first cohort of volunteers has received an experimental vaccine specifically targeting this strain.
Numerous other candidate vaccines are currently being fast-tracked for clinical trials, and two potential therapeutic treatments are also undergoing active development.
