Congo’s Fastest Spreading Ebola Outbreak Claims Over 2,000 Lives

August 11, 2026 / 5:01 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Bunia, Congo — The Ebola outbreak in Congo continues to escalate, with over 2,000 confirmed deaths. This outbreak is the fastest spreading on record in the region. Government data reveals a total of 4,381 confirmed cases, including 2,011 deaths. The outbreak was declared nearly three months ago, on May 15.

Within the first nine weeks, the outbreak reached 1,000 deaths. The situation has dramatically worsened, with an additional 1,000 deaths occurring in just around three weeks. Health authorities are struggling to contain the situation due to challenges in reaching remote localities. These difficulties are caused by rebel conflicts, poor road conditions, and work stoppages related to payment issues.

Health workers in protective gear at an Ebola treatment center in Bunia, Congo, on August 10, 2026. Photo: AP/Dieudonne Dirole

This outbreak is the second-largest in history, after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which recorded over 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Congo outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The crisis has also affected neighboring Uganda, as cases have been reported there.

Aid workers report that the outbreak is spreading faster than the response efforts, which are expanding across all five affected provinces. Numerous health workers have gone on strike, protesting unpaid work since the outbreak’s declaration. Additionally, many new cases are emerging beyond known contacts being monitored.

This outbreak is particularly challenging because the responsible virus, the rare Bundibugyo virus, lacks approved vaccines or treatments. Clinical trials for vaccines and treatments have started in Ituri, the epicenter of this outbreak. According to WHO, some initial cases were misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid, delaying a targeted response. Early testing focused on the more common Ebola strain.

Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO’s regional director for Africa, acknowledged the struggle to keep up with the virus, saying, “Officials are chasing the virus; the virus is ahead of us.”

The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Congo. This outbreak is the 17th — and the largest — faced by the Central African nation.