Congo’s Ebola outbreak is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history, WHO chief says
WHO said the outbreak is nearing the deadliest Ebola epidemic on record as insecurity, weak health services and funding gaps slow the response.
- The World Health Organization announced plans to control Ebola transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within three months, though officials warned on Wednesday the outbreak is on track to surpass the 2014–2016 epidemic that killed over 11,000 people.
- Genomic sequencing reveals the virus silently circulated since January or February 2026, granting the contagion a lethal head start before health authorities declared the emergency on May 15, 2026.
- A motorcycle taxi driver from Haut-Uele died posthumously in the previously unaffected province of Bas-Uele, spreading the virus to a sixth province; government data released Wednesday confirms 4,566 cases and 2,128 deaths, with about 90 per cent concentrated in Ituri.
- Strikes by unpaid health workers at the Nizi Treatment Centre, rebel threats, and misinformation hamper response efforts, despite clinical researchers beginning vaccine trials in July with Prof Teresa Lambe calling the work 'really significant'.
- UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher allocated $30.5 million on Friday to bolster the response, as Mercy Corps warned confirmed cases sit just 35 kilometres from the South Sudan border and WHO regional director Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi acknowledged 'The virus is ahead of us.
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109 Articles
PBS NewsHour
cascadepbs.orgCongo Ebola outbreak on track to become deadliest in history
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to worsen, with the number of confirmed cases climbing to over 4,600. At least 2,100 people have died, a death toll that was reached almost three times faster than the outbreak over a decade ago. William Brangham discussed the crisis with epidemiologist Dr. Anne Rimoin, director of the Center for Global Health Security at UCLA.
DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth province
In tonight's edition: The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading, with the virus now confirmed in a sixth province, raising fresh concerns about new infections and the challenges facing health teams. Meanwhile, the migration crisis between Morocco and Spain continues, as Moroccan authorities step up security around the border following the recent crossing of tens of thousands of people into Spain's North African enclave …
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