Congo’s Ebola outbreak reaches 5,000 cases as it outpaces response efforts at unprecedented speed
Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak had so far recorded 5,021 cases, including 2,378 deaths as of Sunday (August 16, 2026), as it rages in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable fuelled by insecurity, displacement and intense population movements
The Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached a staggering 5,021 cases, with 2,378 deaths, according to the government's latest data as of Sunday, August 16, 2026. This outbreak is spreading at an unprecedented speed, outpacing response efforts in one of the country's most remote and challenging regions. The Ministry of Health's figures revealed that the epidemic has infected and killed more people in a shorter period than any other outbreak in history.
The spread of the virus has been about three times faster than the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which remains the deadliest on record with over 11,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that the epidemic is far from being under control during a meeting convened by the agency on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Safety concerns have significantly limited the response, as health workers have been targeted, particularly in Ituri, the province that has been hit the worst by the outbreak.
On Monday, August 17, 2026, residents in the territory of Aru attacked a health team after a suspected case was reported there. They set fire to an ambulance and damaged two other vehicles, as reported by Michael Wani, president of the Union of Cultural Associations for the Development of Ituri.
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