Ebola Outbreak in Congo Surpasses 6,000 Cases

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 6,000 confirmed cases and 3,000 deaths, while health authorities continue struggling to identify how many infections are connected to known transmission chains.

Government figures reported 6,041 cases and 2,911 deaths as of Aug. 31. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sept. 2 that the outbreak had passed 6,000 cases and 3,000 deaths. WHO had reported 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths as of Aug. 26.

The Bundibugyo virus, which lacks both a licensed vaccine and specific treatment, is driving the outbreak. It began in Ituri province in northeastern Congo and has since reached six provinces and 60 health zones.

The outbreak has spread across six provinces

The first cases were reported in the Ituri communities of Mongbwalu and Rwampara, before infections were detected in Bunia, the provincial capital. The virus later reached North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and Bas-Uele.

Ituri remains the center of the epidemic. The World Health Organization recorded 4,802 confirmed cases there through Aug. 26, compared with 775 in North Kivu. Tshopo had cases in seven health zones, Haut-Uele in six, Bas-Uele in three and South Kivu in one.

Conflict and displacement have complicated the response. Restricted access makes surveillance harder in some communities, while population movement can carry infections beyond areas where health teams are already working. More than 26 million people in Congo are facing acute food insecurity, and WHO estimates that about one million people are internally displaced in Ituri.

Contact tracing has revealed how difficult it is to reconstruct transmission. About 80% of listed contacts were being followed, but only around 20% of cases had been identified through those known contacts. Roughly 40% could be connected to a documented transmission chain. WHO has said the actual number of infections could be three to four times higher than reported.

Around 60% of Ebola deaths occur outside treatment centers, according to Congolese health officials. Patients who never reach a facility are harder to diagnose and isolate, while deaths in communities can complicate safe-burial efforts.

Congo is expanding testing and field operations

WHO reported 21 active laboratories in Congo as of Aug. 12, with daily testing capacity scaling toward 3,000 samples. The country had roughly 1,000 treatment beds, while health officials estimated that about 3,000 were required.

The response includes laboratory testing, case investigation, isolation, infection prevention and control, clinical care, and safe, dignified burials. Community-based surveillance is also being expanded to help identify suspected infections before patients reach hospitals.

In some areas, however, fear and misinformation have slowed those efforts. In Nyankunde, about 45 kilometers from Bunia, WHO reported that eight of 11 health areas were affected. Rumors about Ebola, fear of treatment centers and concerns about burial practices have contributed to reluctance to report suspected cases or cooperate with response teams.

To pinpoint potential transmission routes, health authorities have turned to population mobility data. The WHO and Swedish group Flowminder are leveraging anonymized Vodacom mobile records from Bunia, Mongbwalu, and Rwampara to map how the virus might spread.

The analysis identified Kisangani as an important transport hub and highlighted possible routes toward Kinshasa and neighboring countries. Because the model uses data from only one mobile operator, it cannot capture every movement across the region.

Researchers are testing vaccines and treatments

Frontline health workers in Congo are receiving Merck’s Ervebo vaccine off-label, as the drug is approved for Zaire Ebola rather than the active Bundibugyo strain. Its effectiveness against the virus causing the current outbreak remains unknown.

WHO has issued new emergency guidance on the use of licensed Ebola vaccines during Bundibugyo virus disease (BDBV) outbreaks, following an Extraordinary Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.

Since evidence remains insufficient to support the… pic.twitter.com/zWjvHpGEeN

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) September 2, 2026

Two vaccines specifically designed for Bundibugyo are undergoing safety trials in the United Kingdom and Canada. WHO said it is working with partners to advance all three candidates toward efficacy trials in Congo, potentially beginning in October or November.

Treatment research is also underway. More than 300 Ebola patients have entered trials of two experimental therapies. Another study is testing obeldesivir among people recently exposed to the virus to determine whether it can prevent illness.

The experimental products are being studied alongside established measures such as rapid diagnosis, isolation and infection-control procedures.

Uganda has ended its outbreak

Uganda recorded 20 confirmed Bundibugyo cases and two deaths after the virus was introduced from Congo. The last confirmed patient was discharged on July 16.

WHO confirmed on Aug. 27 that Uganda had completed 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case, allowing the country to declare the outbreak over.

Uganda continues surveillance along its border with Congo because new infections could still be imported. WHO said the country can now deploy trained emergency medical teams within hours rather than weeks.

WHO also provided Uganda with a mobile laboratory on Aug. 27 to strengthen testing capacity. A WHO and Africa CDC coordination team based in Kampala is supporting surveillance, clinical preparedness, logistics and risk communication in Uganda and other countries considered at risk.

WHO calls for a larger response

WHO has called for a unified and fully financed response in Congo, with clear responsibilities, measurable targets and regular reviews of progress.

The Congolese government has requested US$1.3 billion for its national Ebola response. WHO has shipped more than 300 metric tons of supplies and expanded testing capacity, while treatment studies continue.

The financial demands are substantial. A 1,500-bed Ebola treatment center costs about US$15 million per month to operate, according to WHO.

WHO has assessed the risk of international spread as very low outside Africa, although countries sharing land borders with Congo face greater risks. Health agencies rank South Sudan as the highest-risk country, whereas Uganda continues active surveillance even after defeating the virus within its borders.

Uganda has moved from active outbreak response to surveillance and preparedness. In Congo, health teams continue working across the affected provinces while researchers test vaccines and treatments against a virus for which no licensed Bundibugyo-specific medical countermeasure yet exists.