DRC Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 10,000 Cases, Deadliest in Country's History

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached a devastating milestone, with government data putting confirmed cases at 10,060 and deaths at 4,887 — a fatality rate of nearly half. Declared on 15 May, it is the fastest-growing and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC's history, and the second-largest on record globally, trailing only the 2014–2016 West African epidemic, which saw 28,600 infected and more than 11,000 dead. Cases now span 66 health zones across eight provinces. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola strain with no approved vaccine or treatment. The WHO announced on Friday that the first clinical trial for a vaccine had begun. A critical control benchmark remains far out of reach: Africa CDC says 95% of new cases must come from known contacts, yet roughly 80% are emerging outside monitored transmission chains. The virus has crossed borders into Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria — the widest cross-border spread of any Ebola epidemic. Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths. Health workers face violence, supply shortages, and unpaid wages. A nurse was killed and a colleague seriously injured in Tshopo province while responding to a suspected case, prompting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to call for safe working conditions. The WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are closely monitoring the evolving spread.