The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is battling the most severe Ebola outbreak in its history, driving international relief agencies to establish new medical infrastructure across affected eastern provinces.
by Anett Schwarz
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) / UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) / World Food Programme (WFP) Sources: UN News, World Health Organization (WHO), UN OCHA, World Food Programme (WFP)
Original Article: UN News – DR Congo Ebola Outbreak
Cover photo: Athalia Christie / CDC Global Health (Wikimedia Commons) – CC BY 2.0
Featured image credit: Athalia Christie / CDC Global Health (Wikimedia Commons) – CC BY 2.0
Cover image: Athalia Christie / CDC Global Health (Wikimedia Commons) – CC BY 2.0
Key Epidemic Statistics (Source: World Health Organization – WHO):
- Casualties & Infections: Between mid-May and late July 2026, health authorities documented 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths.
- Unprecedented Transmission: The surge has officially eclipsed the country’s previous record outbreak from 2018–2020 (3,317 cases). In the most recent reporting week alone, 567 cases and 296 fatalities were recorded.
- Epidemic Epicenter: Ituri province remains the primary hotspot, containing 88% of all national infections and 82.6% of deaths.
- Geographic Expansion: Active virus transmission currently spans 33 health zones across five newly affected provinces.
Emergency Response & On-Ground Operations:
- New Infrastructure: A 100-bed facility—the largest Ebola treatment unit in the country—opens this week, alongside a specialized transit hub at the Kigonze displacement camp in Bunia.
- Expanded Capacity: Medical bed capacity in the Nizi region has been boosted to 80 beds to support an area housing more than 80,000 internally displaced persons.
- Compounding Factors: Relief operations are severely hindered by ongoing armed conflict, widespread displacement (270,000 displaced people in Ituri), and heightened obstetric risks, including elevated rates of premature births and stillbirths among infected mothers.
Source Citation:
Data & Information Source: World Health Organization (WHO) / UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) / World Food Programme (WFP)
