DR Congo Ebola: ‘The epidemic is growing exponentially’

The latest numbers

According to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health (MOH), since the outbreak was declared on 15 May and through August 20, 2026, a total of 5,375 confirmed cases and 2,557 deaths have been reported in the DRC, representing a case fatality rate of 47.6%.

Over the past 24 hours, 85 new confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)—including 18 community deaths—were reported in the provinces of Ituri (63 cases), North Kivu (17), and Haut-Uélé (5).

During the same period, 15 patients were declared recovered after testing negative for EVD twice (9 in Ituri, 4 in Haut-Uélé, and 2 in North Kivu). Additionally, 23 deaths within Ebola Treatment Centers (ETCs) were recorded: 19 in Ituri, 2 in Haut-Uélé, 1 in Tshopo, and 1 in North Kivu.

Ituri remains the epicenter of the epidemic, accounting for 83.9% of cumulative confirmed cases and 74.1% of new cases reported in the last 24 hours.

Overall, 56 of the 151 health zones across the six provinces have been affected since the outbreak began in the DRC.

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UN warning

UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.

“We’re only covered for the next weeks, and very soon funding will run out,” said Julien Harneis, UN Senior Ebola Coordinator. “Every delay in funding and implementation makes this epidemic more deadly, more difficult to stop and more expensive. So, we need that international support immediately.”

Mr. Harneis warned that the disease is “growing exponentially”, with half of all deaths occurring in just the last 20 days.

“The epidemic is spreading to an area that is bigger than France. And the outbreak is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response,” he stressed, as “brutal” operating conditions continue to impede the progress of frontline workers.

Three months into the outbreak, 160 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola and 43 of them have died. “And then when we do respond, apart from the threat from the virus, healthcare workers and frontline workers have been attacked by youths, ambulances have been burned and stoned and the healthcare facilities have been attacked,” Mr. Harneis explained.

“Conditions on the ground are extremely difficult, but we will continue deploying all the humanitarian and medical assistance needed until the job is done,” the veteran aid official said.

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Vaccines arrive

Congo has received 16,250 doses of the Ervebo vaccine arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners that were announced on Thursday. More doses are expected early next week.

The current Ebola outbreak in Congo is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which currently has no approved treatment or vaccine.

Ervebo is specific to Zaire ebolavirus (the species responsible for most large outbreaks). As of 2026, an ongoing DRC outbreak involves Bundibugyo virus, for which no licensed vaccine exists. Animal and serological data suggest possible partial cross-protection (especially against severe disease/death), and ring-vaccination trials of Ervebo are planned or starting to evaluate this, but human efficacy against Bundibugyo remains unproven.