Global health officials label Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola epidemic the most severe in history

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The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the largest outbreak ever recorded in the country.

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The WHO disclosed this on its official X account on Saturday describing the disease outbreak as “intensifying” and having “sustained transmission.”

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As of July 30, there were 3,605 confirmed cases including 1,587 deaths with a fatality rate of 44 per cent.

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The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus which was declared on 15 May 2026.

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Experts have noted that the outbreak has surpassed the previous biggest outbreak between 2018 and 2020, which had nearly 3,500 recorded cases of whom almost 2,300 died.

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The WHO said, “The Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak in the DRC is intensifying, with sustained transmission, rising cases and deaths, and expanding geographic spread. This is now the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country.

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“As of 30 July 2026, 3605 confirmed cases and 1587 deaths have been reported. The continued rise in cases, widening spread, and high mortality highlight the growing nature of this public health emergency. During the past week, the outbreak reached its highest weekly total, with 567 cases and 296 deaths, underscoring the exceptional pace of transmission.

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“Factors like insecurity, population displacement, and cross-border movement continue to hamper response efforts and increase the risk of further spread. While national authorities, WHO, and partners are implementing extensive response measures, a substantial scale-up of operations across all activities is needed to get ahead of the outbreak.”

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The centre of the outbreak is the Ituri province in the northeast of the country, which borders South Sudan and Uganda.

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The report noted that on July 28, the Ministry of Health of Uganda declared the end of the BVD outbreak in the country, following 42 days without a new confirmed locally transmitted case after the last confirmed case was discharged from care on 16 June 2026.

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“The most recent imported case was discharged from a treatment centre on 16 July after two negative tests results. Following international guidance WHO will be monitoring the situation for 42 days from this date to ensure no chains of transmission have been missed.

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“Uganda remains at risk of imported cases and re-introduction of BVD, due to ongoing transmission in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO reiterates the need to maintain heightened surveillance, preparedness and control measures, particularly in view of continued population movement and the risk of cross-border transmission,” the WHO stated.

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