Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have risen above 10,000 with nearly 4,900 deaths, according to the latest government situation report, making the Bundibugyo outbreak the country’s largest.
Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 10,000, with 10,060 cases and 4,887 deaths reported in the latest situation report from the country’s public health institute, according to Reuters. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain and first announced in mid-May, is now the largest and deadliest recorded in Congo, exceeding the 2018–2020 epidemic.
It ranks as the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola outbreak globally, behind only the 2014–2016 West African epidemic that infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000. Earlier this month Kenya reported cases linked to travel from Congo via Uganda, and Nigeria confirmed an imported case last week; a Swiss woman who had been in Uganda was also evacuated with suspected infection.
The figures come as health workers continue vaccination and contact-tracing efforts across multiple provinces, with Ituri remaining the hardest hit. The milestone coincides with concerns about further regional spread and reports of attacks on health workers that have complicated the response.
The 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths match the numbers cited by Reuters from Congo’s public health institute situation report issued Tuesday. Independent outlets including dpa have reported the same threshold. No contradictory official figures have been published; the data reflect cumulative confirmed cases since the May declaration.
Crossing 10,000 cases marks a significant expansion of an outbreak already larger than any previous one in Congo and raises the risk of additional cross-border transmission, as seen with the recent detections in Kenya and Nigeria. Containment depends on sustained vaccination, contact follow-up, and protection of health workers in the affected zones.