The number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to 837, including 196 deaths.
Published on 16 June 2026
The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could surpass the deadliest recorded epidemic, which claimed more than 11,000 lives, according to the Director-General of Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Government data released on Tuesday indicates that confirmed cases have risen to 837, with 196 fatalities.
“If we do not halt the outbreak promptly, it may become more severe than the crises seen in West Africa and eastern DRC,” Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said during a virtual meeting of African leaders and international donors in Burundi on Tuesday.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Kaseya noted that tens of thousands of individuals potentially exposed to Ebola have not yet been traced or contacted.
“Contact tracing is a critical indicator. We are missing over 26,000 people, and we do not know their whereabouts or whether they are further spreading the virus,” he added.
A Red Cross official warned that the epidemic has not yet reached its peak in the country.
“We fear this situation could persist for a year or longer before the disease is contained,” Bruno Michon, operations manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said.
The response has been hampered by insufficient treatment centres and community resistance to stringent hygiene measures. Health officials noted that, more than a month after the outbreak was declared, the full scale remains unclear.
Ebola victim corpses remain highly infectious after death, and unsafe traditional burials — where family members handle bodies without proper protective equipment — are a major transmission driver.
To date, the continent has secured less than one‑fifth of the $518 million sought to strengthen containment measures, according to Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who also chairs the African Union.
The shortfall has heightened concerns that the consequences could be devastating if the virus is not swiftly brought under control.
No approved treatment or vaccine exists for this strain of Ebola; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that a vaccine may take up to nine months to become available.
Neighbouring Uganda has recorded 19 cases, 14 of which involve individuals who travelled from the DRC, and has reported two deaths.
