DRC Ebola Toll Rises as Response Reaches Hard-to-Access Areas

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak had recorded 10,141 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths as of Monday, the Congolese Ministry of Health said. The Bundibugyo virus has spread through a region already marked by conflict, hunger and widespread displacement, and some affected communities remain hard to reach.

In Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, healthcare workers at a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Ebola treatment centre celebrated when the last patient there recovered and left. Footage showed a woman in civilian clothes dancing out of the facility as workers sang and danced on both sides of a partition. Her discharge marked a recovery milestone for those treating patients. It didn't mean the wider outbreak had ended.

The toll beyond one treatment centre

The outbreak has expanded to eight provinces. It is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak and the largest there to date, as well as the world’s second-largest, after the West Africa outbreak of 2014-2016. These figures describe a public-health emergency whose costs fall on people facing illness, death, displacement and barriers to care.

Health authorities must continue surveillance and other response measures to detect further cases, the article says. Authorities confirmed the outbreak in May 2026, after investigating clusters of severe illness and deaths in Mongbwalu and Rwampara health zones in Ituri Province. The Congolese Ministry of Public Health declared it on May 15, 2026, and WHO confirmed Bundibugyo virus as the cause.

The outbreak initially affected Mongbwalu, Rwampara and Bunia health zones. By August, WHO reported transmission in 54 health zones across six provinces. Population movement, insecurity and difficulty reaching some affected communities have complicated the response. Conflict and displacement shape the conditions people face in the region where the outbreak emerged, as health authorities work to contain transmission.

Official response, limited tools

“Sustained efforts are essential to end the outbreak,” WHO said in a tweet. The agency urged continued scale-up of key control measures, better access to affected areas, and community outreach to build trust and encourage people to engage with the response. WHO and partners are assisting DRC authorities. The appeal for trust comes alongside the practical obstacle in the same account: some communities are difficult to reach.

More than 2,600 people have recovered, WHO said. Authorities have expanded testing and treatment capacity, while clinical trials of candidate vaccines are underway. The TUMAINI trials—“hope” in Swahili—will initially assess whether the Evebro vaccine used against the Zaire strain can protect against the current outbreak. Health workers will offer vaccines through ring vaccination, which targets close contacts of confirmed patients.

“During the West Africa Ebola outbreak, WHO and partners used this same ring-vaccination approach in Guinea to help establish the efficacy of Ervebo,” said Dr. Meg Moherty, the agency’s technical lead for vaccine trials, who attended the TUMAINI launch in Bunia on Friday. “Today, scientists are building on that experience to seek answers about Bundibugyo virus,” she added. WHO recently convened expert groups to evaluate evidence on two other vaccines designed specifically against Bundibugyo, with findings expected that week. The source says there isn't currently a vaccine or treatment for the strain; it also says early supportive care can improve survival chances.

Workers inside Mongbwalu’s treatment area wore full protective equipment, including yellow suits, face shields or goggles, masks, gloves and boots. Other workers wore green medical uniforms and boots. They waved and danced to music accompanied by percussion instruments, including drums, as someone recorded on a mobile phone. The scene showed care work and celebration inside one centre. Surveillance remains necessary beyond its doors.

Preparedness across the border

Separately, a UN humanitarian fund allocated more than $2 million for Ebola preparedness and response in Kenya. The funding will support government-led work, including enhanced surveillance at border crossings and training for rapid response teams and front-line responders along high-risk refugee and travel routes in the northwest.

Kenya had recorded nine Ebola cases, including two deaths, all linked to its first case: a Kenyan man working in the DRC who flew to Nairobi via Uganda on 3 October and died two days later. Officials identified more than 130 contacts and placed them under quarantine; 20 had since been discharged. The funding, response plans and official appeals describe the institutional effort. The outbreak’s reach still depends on whether care and surveillance can reach people living with insecurity and displacement.