DRC Ebola Death Toll Surpasses 1,750

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have called for a faster and more coordinated response to the latest Ebola outbreak after the number of reported deaths exceeded 1,750.

Official figures show the outbreak has recorded 3,874 confirmed cases, including 1,751 deaths, since it was declared in mid-May 2026. The reported case fatality rate stands at 45.1%, making it the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak by recorded infections.

Authorities said 717 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals or isolation centres, while 749 people have recovered. More than 17,000 potential contacts are also under monitoring as health officials work to limit further transmission.

The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre called for stronger contact tracing and better coordination, saying high population mobility continues to drive the spread of the virus across the five affected provinces of Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo. Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

A joint delegation from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recently visited Ituri, where a new Ebola treatment centre was inaugurated in Bunia to expand access to care. A recent scientific study also suggested the outbreak may have started as early as January 2026 in a remote mining town in eastern DRC. The exact origin of the outbreak has not been officially confirmed.

SOURCE: AA