Ebola deaths top 2,000 in DRC as outbreak spreads

The Bundibugyo strain is the cause of the country's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, with no approved vaccine or treatment currently available.

Talivio News · Global 12 August 2026, 04:13 3 min read

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More than 2,000 people have died of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to government statistics. The current surge is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record.

It took approximately nine weeks for the death toll to reach 1,000. The number doubled to 2,000 in only about three weeks. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Congolese Ministry of Communication confirmed the official death toll is 2,011 out of 4,381 confirmed cases.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. There are no specific approved vaccines or treatments for this strain. The WHO stated the outbreak likely began in February, prior to official detection.

Delayed Detection and Spread

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared on May 15. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, a Congolese virologist who co-discovered Ebola in 1976, said the virus likely began circulating in January. He stated it was not detected and confirmed until April or May.

Muyembe added that early cases were misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid. Early testing focused only on the more common Ebola strain. The outbreak has expanded from three health zones to 53, and from three provinces to five.

The province of Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for 86.5% of cumulative cases. The outbreak is also occurring in North Kivu and South Kivu. South Kivu has not recorded a new confirmed case for 73 days as of August 8.

Healthcare System Under Strain

Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said officials are chasing the virus. He stated that 70% of infected people die at home, while only 30% are seen by health services.

Janabi noted that village centres outside of Bunia lack services. As a result, everyone comes to Bunia, often arriving late. John Agbor, UNICEF’s representative in the DRC, reported a sharp drop in patient visits at some facilities.

Health workers in the DRC have gone on strike to protest a lack of payment. Muyembe said the response has been slow due to weaknesses in surveillance and coordination problems.

Response and Vaccine Trials

Samuel Roger Kamba, Minister of Health of the DRC, said the country has not yet reached the peak. He expects to master the progression and see a decrease in cases within three months.

Clinical trials for candidate therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain have begun in Ituri. The WHO recommended prioritizing the licensed Ebola vaccine Ervebo for evaluation in a randomized clinical trial.

Ervebo is approved against the Zaire ebolavirus, not Bundibugyo. However, preliminary data suggests it offers some cross-protection in animal studies. The Gavi vaccine alliance has made approximately 500,000 doses available for trials.

Sania Nishtar of Gavi warned the current outbreak could become the largest ever. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, noted that fewer new cases can be traced back to contacts of existing patients.

Updates

Update — 12 August, 16:31

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has now resulted in 886 recoveries despite no approved vaccine or treatment, with the case fatality rate at 46.3% and 704 patients currently in isolation; contact tracing has reached 82.7%, though 86% of new cases remain unlinked to known chains, and WHO aims to raise tracing to 95% while expecting treatment capacity to triple to 3,000 beds within 12 weeks — two new vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain have entered phase one trials, and funding remains critically short, with only $264 million of the $518 million required disbursed.

Update — 12 August, 17:53

The number of Ebola deaths has surpassed 2,000, with 886 recoveries reported and a case fatality rate of 46.3%, while contact tracing has reached 82.7%—up from the previously cited 80%—and WHO now aims to raise it to 95%; treatment capacity is expected to triple to 3,000 beds within 12 weeks, and two new vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain have entered phase one trials, alongside ongoing clinical testing of two antiviral therapies since July.

Update — 13 August, 00:21

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has now resulted in 886 recoveries despite no approved vaccine or treatment, with the case fatality rate at 46.3% and 704 patients currently in isolation; new data shows 86% of cases are unlinked to known contacts, up from the earlier estimate of 80%, while contact tracing has improved to 82.7% and WHO aims to raise it to 95%, with two new Bundibugyo-specific vaccines entering phase one trials and treatment capacity expected to triple to 3,000 beds within 12 weeks.

Update — 13 August, 02:47

The number of Ebola cases has now reached approximately 4,000, with Africa CDC estimating that at least 160,000 contacts should have been traced based on an average of 40 contacts per patient, while the current contact tracing rate stands at 82.7% — far below WHO’s target of 95%; additionally, two new vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain have entered phase one human trials, and treatment capacity is expected to triple to 3,000 beds within 12 weeks, as 886 recoveries have been recorded despite no approved vaccines or therapeutics, with 704 patients currently in isolation and a case fatality rate of 46.3%.

Marit Vandeveld

General Assignment Reporter · Talivio News

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