DRC Ebola Outbreak Spreads Exponentially as Death Toll Exceeds 2,500

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the largest in the country’s history and is spreading faster than the response can contain it, the United Nations senior coordinator said on Friday.

Julien Harneis reported more than 2,500 deaths and an expanding footprint across five provinces covering territory larger than France. The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which no approved vaccines or specific treatments exist.

As of late July, authorities had recorded 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths, a crude case fatality ratio of 44 percent. By mid-August the figures had climbed further, with the highest weekly totals of cases and deaths recorded in the most recent reporting period. Ituri province accounts for the large majority of infections.

At least 160 healthcare workers have fallen ill and 43 of them have died. Response teams face additional risks from attacks by local youths, burned ambulances and assaults on facilities. Population displacement, insecurity and cross-border movement continue to complicate containment.

Harneis warned that available funding for critical operations is set to run out within weeks. He described the epidemic as growing faster and wider than the interventions deployed against it.

The current wave surpassed the previous record outbreak of 2018–2020 in late July. Two cases have been recorded in neighbouring Uganda. International partners have called for immediate additional support to prevent further geographical spread.