VerorbisWhat changed this week
Science & tech DR Congo · Uganda · Kenya

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and region

The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak declared in DR Congo in May is still spreading. Reports citing official Congolese data say cases have passed 11,000, with 5,387 deaths. Kenya's cluster of nine cases has had no new infections since Oct 19.

Confidence: high. WHO, ECDC and Africa CDC all confirm the outbreak's scale, spread and lack of an approved vaccine. Exact totals differ by agency and reporting date (WHO, ECDC and Africa CDC counts do not match), Congo's figures are under continuous review, and aid groups say the true scale may be larger than reported. · Updated 11 Nov 2026, 2pm ET

Open the full analysis and map

Why it matters: With more than 10,000 confirmed cases, this is the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, and no vaccine or treatment is approved for the Bundibugyo strain driving it. source

What's happening

DR Congo declared an Ebola outbreak in Ituri province on 15 May 2026. It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species, for which no vaccine or treatment is approved, and WHO declared it a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May. The virus has since reached 67 health zones in eight Congolese provinces. WHO describes it as the largest Ebola outbreak in the country's history, and Al Jazeera reports it is the second largest on record after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. Close to half of confirmed patients have died. Uganda had 20 cases before declaring its outbreak over in August; Kenya has nine confirmed cases and two deaths; Nigeria reported one imported case, who was evacuated to Switzerland. Responders face attacks on health workers and funding gaps, and Al Jazeera reported in late October that about 80% of new cases were arising outside tracked chains of transmission. A trial of Ervebo, a vaccine licensed for a different Ebola species, began in Bunia on 23 October.

What changed recently

Key figures

5,198 (crude fatality rate 48.7%)Confirmed Ebola deaths in DR CongoWorld Health Organization · 2026-11-03 · source
5,376 (5,372 in DR Congo, 2 in Kenya, 2 in Uganda)Ebola deaths across all affected African countriesAfrica CDC, speaking to AFP · 2026-11-02 · source
9 cases, 2 deaths; none new since Oct 19Confirmed Ebola cases in KenyaWorld Health Organization · 2026-11-03 · source

What experts say

Their views, summarized in our words.

Sources