More than 10,000 confirmed Ebola cases have now been reported in Democratic Republic of the Congo, with nearly half of those infected dying.
The scale of the crisis is devastating: families have lost multiple relatives, while insecurity, displacement and poor access to healthcare continue to make it harder to detect patients and stop transmission.
While the latest figures from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths in the DRC as of 25 October 2026—a case-fatality rate of roughly 49%.
The wider regional outbreak has also produced cases in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and France. Yet amid the grief, there are signs that the response is gaining ground.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 2,700 people have recovered, while more than 1,000 patients are receiving clinical care.
Treatment capacity has expanded to more than 2,100 beds across 109 Ebola transit and treatment centres, giving more patients a chance to survive if they reach care early.
The outbreak is being caused by Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or approved specific treatment.
WHO and its partners are supporting clinical trials and research into candidate vaccines and therapeutics.
The vaccine Ervebo, developed for the Zaire species of Ebola, is being used for Bundibugyo only within research protocols because its effectiveness against this strain remains unknown.
The response is also moving beyond hospitals. Private healthcare providers, traditional healers and community leaders are being brought into surveillance efforts so that suspected cases can be identified sooner.
Rapid response teams are travelling to remote and conflict-affected communities where ordinary services cannot safely operate.
WHO says the outbreak has spread across dozens of health zones in several provinces, with eastern DRC’s conflict and population displacement creating major obstacles to contact tracing, safe care and infection prevention.
The message from health authorities is clear: the crisis remains severe, but it is not beyond control.
Early treatment saves lives, community trust prevents transmission, and sustained international support can determine whether Congo’s Ebola emergency is contained—or allowed to deepen.
