The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has exceeded six thousand after the Ministry of Information announced on Monday, 31 August 2026, that 6041 cases had been recorded, including 2911 deaths, in the country’s largest outbreak of the disease to date.
Toll surpasses previous largest outbreak
The new toll has surpassed the figures from the outbreak that struck the country between 2018 and 2020, previously considered the largest in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that cause Ebola, for which there is no specifically approved vaccine or treatment.
Response continues in six provinces
Authorities said emergency teams were continuing response operations in six affected provinces, with efforts focused on Ituri, North Kivu and Haut-Uele.
The World Health Organization had identified the affected provinces as of 26 August as Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshuapa.
Outbreak spreads to 60 health zones
The World Health Organization said that as of 26 August, the toll stood at 5794 confirmed cases and 2786 deaths, distributed across 60 health zones. The latest government figures, announced on 31 August, indicate that cases and deaths continued to rise in the days after that update.
According to the organization, the outbreak spread from 54 to 60 health zones between 12 and 26 August, with transmission recorded among interconnected geographic clusters.
Health authorities and their partners continue surveillance, laboratory testing, clinical care, infection prevention and community engagement activities in the affected areas.
