KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the most lethal in the country’s history. According to government figures, as of Aug. 16, there have been 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 fatalities. During the past 24 hours alone, health officials documented 101 new confirmed cases. The death toll has now exceeded the 2,299 lives lost during the Ebola epidemic from 2018 to 2020 in the country.
These latest statistics deepen worries voiced earlier in the week, as both infections and fatalities continue to rise in eastern DRC. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher stated that the virus is claiming one life every 30 minutes. Since its official declaration in May, the outbreak has expanded at an extraordinary rate. By late July, the number of confirmed cases had already surpassed the total from the 2018 to 2020 outbreak, making this the largest epidemic in the country by case count.
The outbreak was declared on May 15 after laboratory tests confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease. This marks the 17th documented Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. On May 17, the World Health Organization classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. Medical teams are relying on early detection, supportive care, isolation, contact tracing, and infection control measures.
Spread extends to six provinces with cases accelerating
By Aug. 12, the outbreak had affected 54 health zones across six provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. Bas-Uélé was the latest province to report a case, after authorities confirmed an infection in the Buta health zone. The patient had traveled from Haut-Uélé before developing symptoms. Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for roughly 85% of the confirmed cases nationwide at that point.
The epidemic has also impacted health workers and intensified the strain on medical services in the affected regions. By Aug. 9, authorities confirmed at least 155 infections among health personnel, with 45 of those resulting in death. As of Aug. 12, 965 patients in the DRC had recovered. Medical teams tracked more than 17,000 contacts out of approximately 20,700 identified during the recent reporting period. Ongoing insecurity, population displacement, and attacks on health facilities have hampered efforts in surveillance, treatment, and contact tracing.
Response efforts escalate as fatalities reach historic highs
In response, the national health authorities have expanded testing, surveillance, and treatment capabilities across affected zones. Response teams are also conducting training for medical staff and reinforcing infection prevention at health centers. Continued efforts include contact tracing, laboratory testing, safe burials, and community outreach initiatives. Researchers are assessing experimental vaccines and therapies; however, none have been approved specifically for Bundibugyo virus disease. A clinical trial of potential treatments began enrolling confirmed patients in Ituri in July as part of the expanded emergency response.
The outbreak’s impact has also extended beyond the DRC, with Uganda reporting 20 cases and two deaths, while health authorities continue intensified monitoring after discharging their last patient in July. France reported one imported case without documented secondary transmission. This epidemic now ranks second only to the 2014 to 2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak in global death tolls. That outbreak resulted in 11,310 deaths and 28,616 cases across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.