Ebola outbreak breaks record in DR Congo

Ebola deaths were recorded at a rate of one every 28 minutes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) last week, making the outbreak the nation’s deadliest on record as authorities struggle to contain the rapidly spreading disease.

The death toll reached 2,325 after another 365 fatalities were recorded last week, surpassing the 2,299 deaths during the nation’s record Ebola outbreak in 2018-2020.

Almost 5,000 confirmed infections have been reported since the current outbreak was declared in May, the National Institute of Public Health said on Sunday.

Red Cross volunteers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo carry the body of an Ebola victim on June 8, 2026.

Photo: AFP

The epidemic is doubling about every 20 days and the response needs to expand substantially to regain ground, UN Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Friday.

Authorities and aid groups need to double the number of teams conducting safe burials, triple treatment capacity, improve contact tracing and deploy more experienced managers, he added.

“Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” he said. “We cannot let the virus outrun our response.”

Fletcher announced an additional US$30.5 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund on Friday, on top of US$24 million already allocated to the nation and neighboring countries.

The UN has deployed another 20 humanitarian staff to the outbreak’s epicenter, while the World Food Programme is expanding food assistance at Ebola treatment centers.

The pressure is spilling into ordinary hospitals and clinics. Dedicated beds for suspected Ebola patients in North Kivu Province were fully occupied by Saturday, while suspected cases in Butembo, Masereka, Vuhovi and Kalunguta were being isolated in existing health facilities that were not designated transit centers, the institute said.

The virus poses particular risks for health workers. Ebola had infected at least 155 of them and killed 45 by Aug. 9, the WHO said in a report on Friday.

The infections highlight persistent weaknesses in infection prevention and control, particularly outside designated Ebola treatment centers, the agency said.

Ebola is hitting a health system already weakened by years of conflict and mass displacement, with recent cuts to humanitarian funding adding to the strain.

Hospitals and health centers in parts of North and South Kivu are operating with fewer staff, medicines and supplies, while some have suspended operations because of violence, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.

Measles, cholera, malaria and other health emergencies risk being neglected as resources are mobilized against Ebola, MSF said last week. DR Congo had recorded 108,643 suspected measles cases and 1,394 deaths through July 19, as well as 35,464 suspected cholera cases and more than 1,050 deaths.

Fear of Ebola is also deterring some people from seeking care, potentially delaying treatment for other illnesses, the group said.

“We are putting the world on notice that the Ebola crisis is real,” Fletcher said. “This is now everybody’s problem.”