The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing the largest Ebola outbreak in the country's history, the World Health Organization has said, warning that the virus is still spreading despite months of response efforts. In its latest update, the UN agency said the outbreak is intensifying, with sustained transmission and continued increases in both reported cases and deaths.
The current outbreak, the 17th recorded in the country, has surpassed the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic to become the largest on record. It is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which no approved vaccines currently exist and for which there is no specific treatment. The virus was initially detected in the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri Province but has since spread to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo.
According to the latest figures from the Congolese Ministry of Health, confirmed infections have reached 3,674, while the death toll has risen to 1,621. The WHO, using data as of July 30, had previously reported 3,605 confirmed cases. The ministry added that 760 patients are currently in isolation or hospital care and 666 people have recovered. The overall case fatality rate stands at 44.1 percent.
The speed of the outbreak's expansion has raised alarm. During epidemiological week 30, the country recorded 567 new cases and 296 deaths in a single week, the highest weekly figures since the outbreak began. The WHO said the continuing rise in infections and deaths shows that the response so far has been insufficient to break transmission chains.
Containment efforts are being complicated by severe insecurity, mass displacement, population movements, and cross-border travel in the affected regions, the agency said. These factors are increasing the risk of further geographic spread. The Congolese health authorities, however, say surveillance systems and laboratory testing remain operational across affected zones. Contact tracing has also improved, although it remains below target, with the nationwide contact follow-up rate currently at 78 percent.
The WHO said bringing the outbreak under control will require a substantial scaling up of the response involving the Congolese authorities, the UN agency, and international partners. It did not specify what additional measures would be needed but stressed that the current trajectory is unsustainable.
Elsewhere in the region, Uganda declared its own Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak over on July 28, after going 42 days without a locally transmitted case. The WHO cautioned, however, that Uganda remains at risk of imported infections as long as transmission continues in neighboring DR Congo. Health experts monitoring the region say cross-border vigilance will be critical in the coming weeks, especially in areas where movement between the two countries is frequent.