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. According to government data, there have been 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths as of Aug. 16. Over the past 24 hours, health officials recorded 101 new confirmed cases. The death toll now exceeds the 2,299 fatalities documented during the Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in the country.
These latest numbers heighten concerns expressed earlier in the week as infections and fatalities continue to rise across eastern DRC. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher indicated that the virus is claiming one life every 30 minutes. Since its official declaration in May, the outbreak has expanded at an unprecedented rate. By late July, confirmed cases had already surpassed those recorded during the 2018 to 2020 outbreak, marking the largest epidemic in the country’s history by case count.
The authorities announced the outbreak on May 15 following laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease. This marks the 17th documented Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. The World Health Organization classified this emergency as a public health concern of international importance on May 17. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease. Medical teams rely on early detection, supportive care, isolation procedures, contact tracing, and infection control measures.
Spread reaches six provinces as cases accelerate
By Aug. 12, the outbreak had affected 54 health zones across six different provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. Bas-Uélé was the most recent province to be affected, after authorities confirmed a case in the Buta health zone. The patient had traveled from Haut-Uélé before developing symptoms. Ituri continues to be the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for approximately 85% of the total confirmed cases reported nationwide at that point.
The epidemic has also impacted healthcare workers and strained medical services in affected regions. As of Aug. 9, officials confirmed at least 155 infections among health workers, including 45 deaths. By Aug. 12, a total of 965 patients had recovered. Efforts to follow more than 17,000 contacts out of roughly 20,700 identified individuals have been ongoing during the latest reporting period. Challenges such as insecurity, population displacements, and attacks on health facilities have complicated surveillance, treatment, and contact tracing efforts.
Response efforts intensify as fatalities reach new heights
National health authorities have ramped up testing, surveillance, and treatment capacities across the affected zones. Response teams are also conducting training sessions for medical personnel and reinforcing infection prevention protocols in health facilities. They continue with contact tracing, laboratory testing, safe burial practices, and community outreach initiatives. Researchers are investigating experimental vaccines and therapies; however, none have yet received approval for use against the Bundibugyo strain. A clinical trial for potential treatments began enrolling confirmed patients in Ituri in July as the emergency response efforts grew.
The outbreak has also led to confirmed cases outside the DRC. Uganda has reported 20 cases and two fatalities, and authorities there have maintained heightened monitoring after discharging their last patient in July. France identified one imported case, with no documented secondary transmissions. Currently, the DRC’s epidemic ranks second only to the 2014 to 2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak in total deaths worldwide. That epidemic resulted in 11,310 deaths and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.