WHO: Current Ebola outbreak largest ever recorded in DR Congo
The World Health Organization reports that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the largest in the country's history. With over 3,600 cases and a 44% fatality rate, the agency warns that conflict and displacement are severely hindering containment efforts.
Why it matters
The scale of this outbreak in a conflict-affected region poses a significant threat to regional stability and global health security.
Medical workers in protective suits transfer the body of an Ebola victim in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), May 24, 2026. (Str/Xinhua)
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday.
As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 per cent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.
The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country's east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.
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