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Ebola in DRC: Cases reach 5,515, Pope urges help
Published : Monday, 24 August, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Observer Online Report
Collected Photo
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reached 5,515 confirmed cases and killed 2,642 people, with 51 new cases detected in Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the update came on Sunday as Pope Leo called for international action to help contain the epidemic, which is now the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the history of the DRC.
Declared in mid-May, this 17th Ebola epidemic in the DRC was designated a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), its highest alert level, which also covers neighbouring Uganda.
The outbreak is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that killed over 11,000 people.
According to government figures, the case fatality rate in the DRC has climbed from around 20 per cent in early June to nearly 48 per cent, meaning almost one in two infected individuals is dying. However, contact tracing has improved from 30 per cent in June to over 85 per cent.
The disease has also taken a heavy toll on healthcare workers. Around 160 health workers have been infected, and approximately 45 have died, according to the WHO.
Containment efforts remain hampered by armed conflict, displacement, attacks on medical personnel, a mobile population, and a lack of critical infrastructure.
There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for this specific strain of Ebola, known as Bundibugyo. The WHO has pledged 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which early animal trials suggest may offer some protection. A total of 16,250 doses arrived in the DRC on Friday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said response efforts need to scale up two to threefold and called for increased protection, timely payment, and rapid diagnosis for front-line workers.
Public health consultant Abdulsalami Nasidi warned that the outbreak is getting out of hand, blaming weak infection control and a lack of trust between authorities and communities. He warned that the crisis is now a global issue.
While the WHO rates the global public risk as low, it considers the internal threat in the DRC to be very high. However, Uganda and several health zones in Ituri and South Kivu have successfully interrupted transmission through rapid detection and community cooperation.
Speaking at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Leo offered prayers and urged the international community to involve local communities in prevention efforts to save lives.
-SA
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