Ebola outbreak in DR Congo now deadliest in country's history

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has officially become the deadliest in the country's history. According to the World Health Organization's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the outbreak is on track to eclipse the 2014-2016 epidemic that claimed at least 11,308 lives in West Africa. As of August 12, the current outbreak has seen at least 4665 cases and caused more than 2184 deaths, with a crude case fatality rate of 46.8 percent, as reported by Mothership.

The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, 2026, is believed to have started in February and is caused by a rare Ebola strain, Bundibugyo. The virus has spread rapidly, overwhelming the health system in the DRC's north-east, which is already grappling with armed conflict and food insecurity. There are fears that the virus could spread beyond the region's borders, with cases already detected in neighbouring Uganda, as reported by ABC News AU.

Health workers are struggling to contain the outbreak amid community resistance, misinformation, unpaid staff strikes, and threats from rebel groups. The WHO has expressed concerns that unless testing, contact tracing, and isolation efforts are drastically scaled up, the death toll will continue to rise. According to France 24, the outbreak is now the second-largest on record, with more than 2100 deaths and the virus spreading to a sixth province.

Brief written by urgent.news from Sky News, ABC News AU, Mothership, France 24 — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.