LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history, with 2,325 deaths and 4,945 confirmed cases recorded since the outbreak was declared in May.
The latest figures make the outbreak deadlier than the 2018–2020 epidemic, which claimed 2,299 lives.
The DRC public health institute also reported 4,945 confirmed cases, including 101 new infections recorded within 24 hours.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, 2026, has also become one of the fastest-growing Ebola epidemics ever recorded.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher previously warned that “the epidemic is killing someone every 30 minutes”.
According to health authorities, the virus has now spread across six of the DRC’s 26 provinces.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the speed of transmission as “exceptional”.
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The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The strain has only been responsible for two known outbreaks before the current crisis, making its speed a particular concern.
The 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the deadliest globally, took almost five months to reach 1,000 deaths.
In contrast, the DRC outbreak reached 2,000 deaths in less than three months.
Health officials believe the virus may have been circulating undetected for weeks before the outbreak was formally declared.
Conflict, population movement and weaknesses in the health system have further complicated efforts to trace infections and contain transmission.
So far, the virus has spread beyond DRC’s borders, with Uganda reporting 20 confirmed cases as of August 12.
On imported cases, two people were treated in Germany, while France reported one case.
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Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to develop new tools against the Bundibugyo strain.
The UK medicines regulator has authorized the first human trials of a vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Oxford using technology similar to that behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Three other groups are also developing potential Bundibugyo vaccines, while the WHO is supporting a separate clinical trial in the DRC to determine whether two existing antiviral medicines can improve survival.
Ebola symptoms can initially resemble malaria or flu, including sudden fever, headache and tiredness.
Symptoms may appear between two and 21 days after infection, while vomiting and diarrhoea can develop as the illness progresses and may lead to organ failure.
The virus spreads mainly through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit, making early detection, isolation and treatment critical to limiting transmission.
The WHO has reiterated its commitment to bringing transmission of the virus under control within three months, while stressing that this would not necessarily mean the outbreak had ended.
With deaths already exceeding the DRC’s previous record, the scale and speed of the outbreak are placing renewed pressure on health authorities to expand surveillance, treatment and research before transmission grows further.
