In just three months, an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has rewritten the country’s public health record books, killing 2,325 people and overtaking the toll from the devastating 2018-2020 epidemic to become the deadliest in Congo’s history.
Congo’s public health institute said in its latest report that confirmed cases had climbed to 4,945, including 101 new infections detected over the previous 24 hours.
This is Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak, and it was already the largest the country has seen by total case count — a threshold it crossed in late July.
The newest government figures show the death toll has now exceeded the 2,299 fatalities recorded during Congo’s 2018-2020 outbreak, which until now stood as the nation’s worst on record.
There are now 4,945 confirmed cases, the data showed.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments
Formally announced three months ago, Congo’s current crisis is now surpassed only by West Africa’s 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, when 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were recorded in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.
The contrast in pace is stark: it took nearly five months after West Africa’s outbreak was declared to reach 1,000 deaths, while Congo’s present outbreak crossed 2,000 deaths in less than three months.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
Since it was declared on 15 May, the outbreak has accelerated as fragile health infrastructure, resistance in some communities and instability have hampered efforts to find cases quickly and mount an effective response.
Persistent shortcomings
Government data shows the case fatality ratio — the share of confirmed infections that end in death — has climbed sharply, from about 20% in early June to 46%, meaning nearly one in every two confirmed cases is now fatal.
Specialists say this rise does not suggest the virus itself has become more deadly. Instead, they say it reflects persistent gaps in surveillance, case detection and timely access to treatment.
“Normally, as an outbreak progresses, the case fatality ratio should fall as contact tracing improves and patients are identified and treated earlier,” said Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist recently deployed to Congo with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
A health worker checks his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
“Instead, we’re still seeing many cases detected very late, when treatment is less likely to succeed, with many identified only after they die in the community.”
Even as the outbreak grows, only a limited set of experimental vaccines and therapies is under evaluation, while international health authorities weigh whether existing Ebola treatments might offer some protection.
So far, evidence remains largely confined to animal studies. The outbreak previously spilled into neighbouring Uganda, but officials there contained it, recording two deaths and 20 confirmed cases before declaring the outbreak over in Uganda last month.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, living or dead. It can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
