The Democratic Republic of Congo worst Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province, with Africa CDC warning it is on track to become the deadliest in history if the response is not urgently scaled up. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain first detected in May 2026, has infected more than 4,566 people and killed at least 2,128, according to the latest figures from health authorities.
Unprecedented Scale and Speed
The outbreak is concentrated in eastern DRC, where Ituri province accounts for more than 90 percent of confirmed cases. But the virus has now spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, and three additional provinces, raising alarm among international health officials. Nearly a million people displaced by ongoing conflict in the eastern provinces are making contact tracing extremely difficult as displaced populations move across health zones.
WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) earlier this year after cases surged past 1,000 confirmed infections. The Bundibugyo strain carries a case fatality ratio of approximately 25 percent, lower than the Zaire strain that caused the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, but the sheer number of infections has driven the death toll to catastrophic levels.
International Response Falling Behind
Health officials and aid workers on the ground report a severe shortage of basic supplies including masks and protective equipment, even as case numbers continue to climb. The outbreak spread undetected for weeks before being identified, allowing the virus to gain a foothold across multiple provinces. A single-day increase of 72 new cases was recorded in mid-June, one of the highest single-day jumps since the outbreak was declared.
Uganda has also been affected after a Congolese national carried the virus across the border, though authorities there have managed to contain local transmission with 20 cumulative cases and 17 recoveries. South Sudan remains on high alert given its proximity to the affected regions in eastern DRC.
The Africa CDC has called for urgent regional coordination, convening emergency meetings with health authorities from DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and international partners including WHO, UNICEF, and the Pandemic Fund. If current trends continue, this outbreak could rival or exceed the 2018-2020 North Kivu epidemic that killed nearly 2,300 people. Experts warn that without a dramatic increase in funding and personnel, the outbreak will continue to accelerate through the conflict-affected eastern provinces where governance and health infrastructure are weakest.
Sources: Africa CDC; WHO; Reuters; Bloomberg; AP News
discussion