The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people among over 4,300 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026, after Ebola was detected in Ituri Province.
Health authorities say the virus has since spread across five provinces, with the situation complicated by limited healthcare access, insecurity and difficulties in containing transmission.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the outbreak is spreading at an unusually rapid pace and could eventually surpass the devastating 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people.
“At its current pace, it’s on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016,” Tedros warned.
The current outbreak has already recorded more than 4,300 confirmed cases and 2,000 deaths, putting the case-fatality rate at roughly 46 percent.
The comparison with the 2014–2016 epidemic is particularly concerning.
That outbreak, which affected Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, recorded more than 28,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
WHO and its partners are intensifying efforts to contain the DRC outbreak, including strengthening surveillance, improving treatment and supporting research into vaccines and treatments.
The rapid rise in infections and deaths has increased fears that, without stronger containment measures, the DRC outbreak could become the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history.