The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 9,000 confirmed cases, according to government data released on Tuesday, October 13. The latest situation report from the country’s public health institute lists 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths.
It is the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in Congo’s history, overtaking the 2018–2020 outbreak, and the second largest ever recorded worldwide after the 2014–2016 West African epidemic, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.
A strain without a vaccine
The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus. Unlike the more common Zaire strain — for which licensed vaccines and antibody treatments exist — Bundibugyo currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.
The WHO has identified a candidate vaccine being developed in Singapore as the most promising option, and clinical trials of another vaccine have begun in the United Kingdom. Until a vaccine is available, responders depend on classic outbreak control: finding cases quickly, isolating patients, tracing their contacts, safe burials and infection control in clinics.
How fast it has grown
The epidemic is centred in Ituri province in north-eastern Congo, near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan, with cases also reported in North and South Kivu, provinces affected by armed conflict. At the end of July, there were 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths, a fatality rate of about 44%. The case count has more than doubled since then, and responders are struggling to slow transmission in multiple hotspots.
The WHO has warned that insecurity, displacement and movement across borders are complicating containment and raising the risk of further spread.
Cases beyond Congo
- Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier this year and was declared Ebola-free in August.
- Kenya confirmed its first imported case last week: a Kenyan national who had travelled from Congo through Uganda and died in Nairobi.
- A case was reported in France, and two patients diagnosed in Congo were treated in Germany.
What Ebola is — and how it spreads
Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person who has symptoms, or with contaminated materials and the bodies of those who have died. It is not airborne. Early symptoms — fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat — are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, bleeding. Early supportive care, such as fluids and treatment of symptoms, improves survival.
For travellers, the risk outside affected areas remains low. Health authorities advise anyone who develops fever within three weeks of being in an affected region to seek medical care promptly and mention their travel history.