{
  "id": 1452707,
  "title": "Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo now deadliest in country’s history",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/ebola-outbreak-in-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-now-deadliest-in",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-17T08:47:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/17/ebola-outbreak-drc-democratic-republic-of-congo-deadliest-in-history"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At least 2,325 individuals have perished from the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to official records, with the outbreak poised to become the deadliest in the nation's history. The death toll surpasses that of the 2018-20 outbreak. The DRC's public health institute reported a total of 4,945 confirmed cases, with 101 identified within the past 24 hours. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated the outbreak is on track to surpass the 2014-16 west Africa Ebola outbreak as the most devastating in history. The 2014-16 outbreak led to 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, as per WHO data. On Friday, the UN warned \"Ebola is winning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,\" emphasizing that the epidemic claims a life every 30 minutes. Six of the country's 26 provinces are affected, predominantly those along the northeastern border. Over 3,400 cases have been recorded in Ituri province, where the outbreak first emerged. The latest figures have transformed this 17th outbreak in DRC's history into the swiftest-growing in the virus's existence. The current surge in cases took nearly five months to reach 1,000 deaths, whereas the 2014-16 west Africa outbreak required over five months to hit the same milestone. Currently, there are no authorized vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for the latest surge. Clinical trials of two potential treatments for the strain commenced last month in Ituri. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, announced last week that two vaccines specifically for Bundibugyo are now being tested on humans. Thomas Parisch, a public health specialist recently assigned to the DRC with Médecins Sans Frontières, noted that as outbreaks progress, case fatality ratios should decline due to improved contact tracing and earlier treatment. However, Parisch pointed out that, contrary to expectations, many cases are still detected late, when treatment is less likely to be successful, with numerous identified only after death in the community. Uganda has documented at least 20 cases, all in the capital, Kampala. The final case was reported on June 21, with no community transmission recorded. In May, the DRC and Uganda's Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO, although sequencing indicated the virus had begun months earlier, in February. Ebola spreads from wild animals to humans and can further propagate within the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected individuals, including deceased bodies, as well as contaminated surfaces and materials like bedding or clothing. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, and signs of impaired kidney and liver functions, according to the WHO.",
  "summary": "At least 2,325 people have died from the virus, according to official data, with outbreak on track to be biggest in history The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is now the deadliest in the country’s history with at least 2,325 people dead, according to government data, surpassing the toll from the 2018-20 outbreak. The DRC’s public health institute said confirmed cases had…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Exhausted health workers in Congo struggle to keep up as Ebola outpaces contact tracing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/exhausted-health-workers-in-congo-struggle-to-keep-up-as-ebola",
        "published": "2026-08-15T05:35:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "Ebola outbreak in DR Congo deadliest in country's history",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/ebola-outbreak-in-dr-congo-deadliest-in-countrys-history",
        "published": "2026-08-17T00:08:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian",
        "title": "Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo now deadliest in country’s history",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/ebola-outbreak-in-democratic-republic-of-congo-now-deadliest-in",
        "published": "2026-08-17T00:09:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak is now the deadliest in its history",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/democratic-republic-of-congos-ebola-outbreak-is-now-the-deadliest-in",
        "published": "2026-08-17T00:35:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}