Africa02 October, 20262 min read
DR Congo Ebola Death Toll Surpasses 4,000 as Cases Reach 8,300
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Death toll exceeds 4,000 (4,018) according to government data Confirmed cases reach about 8,300 across seven provinces
Ebola toll tops 4,000
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak has surpassed 4,000 deaths, with government data showing 4,018 people have died among 8,300 confirmed cases across seven provinces. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, became the largest and deadliest in Congo after surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, and it is now second only to the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization has raised concerns over the rapid geographical spread of the virus into new health zones, stretching limited resources as authorities struggle to contain the disease.
Africa CDC said in its latest news conference that the number of newly confirmed cases is falling, but it could be attributed to insecurity and challenges in getting communities to cooperate in some of the hotspots. The outbreak was declared on May 15, and Reuters reported that over 2,000 patients have recovered from the disease.
Insecurity destroys capacity
Médecins Sans Frontières warned that the actual toll is likely higher than officially reported due to gaps in surveillance and case detection, while worsening insecurity disrupts efforts to contain the epidemic. MSF said, "Healthcare workers are among those at greatest risk," after MSF confirmed that one of its staff members involved in the Ebola response tested positive for Bundibugyo virus and was being medically evacuated to the Netherlands. The United Nations warned that escalating violence in eastern DRC further hampered the Ebola response after a key transit centre for suspected patients was destroyed by fire at the Kigonze displacement camp in Ituri province.
The fire forced 19,000 people in the camp to flee, and the UN said the loss of the transit centre made halting Ebola harder. Julien Harneis, the UN senior Ebola co-ordinator, said, "When we lose a centre, that means we lose capacity, we lose investment" as teams faced shortages of money and staff.
Mistrust and stakes
Health workers in Bunia, the capital of northeastern Ituri province, gathered to demand payment for wages owed, and they waved placards saying, "No money, no data!" and "No payment for months." A senior U.N. official said the Ebola-hit displacement camp housing a transit centre for infected patients was burned by soldiers earlier this week as they were looking for weapons in Kigonze on the outskirts of Bunia. The World Health Organization warned the epidemic is "far from over" and on track to surpass the regional 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of confirmed cases is falling, but it could be attributed to insecurity and challenges in getting communities to cooperate in some hotspots. The outbreak’s spread across eastern DRC, including in neighbouring North Kivu, and the destruction of Ebola transit capacity left the response facing persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care.