Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola Cases Exceed 10,000 with Nearly 5,000 Deaths

The Ebola outbreak ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since mid-May has surpassed a critical threshold as of Tuesday: 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths, according to the latest report from the country's National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), which compiled data up until October 25, as reported by EFE.

With a fatality rate standing at 48.6%, nearly half of those infected with this deadly disease are not surviving. To date, only 2,684 individuals have recovered, and contact tracing efforts are being conducted at an 81.6% rate.

The outbreak, which was officially declared on May 15 and is attributed to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has become the second deadliest and most contagious in global history. It has already surpassed the outbreak in the same Congolese region from 2018 to 2020, which resulted in 3,481 cases and 2,299 deaths.

The eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu are experiencing the highest levels of active transmission, with 32 and 58 new cases reported, respectively, in the 24 hours preceding the report. The NIPH has indicated that "transmission remains particularly significant in the health zones of Beni (35 cases), Mandima (11 cases), and Bunia (8 cases)."

Overall, the epidemic spans 66 health zones across eight of the country's 26 provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, Tshopo, Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, South Kivu, Southern Ubangui, and Northern Ubangui.

An alarming statistic for experts is that nearly six out of ten individuals who died did so outside of healthcare facilities, highlighting issues of late detection and significant barriers to accessing medical care.

The Bundibugyo strain currently lacks approved specific treatments. The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing two vaccines that have entered phase 1 human trials and have so far been deemed safe, though their development may take several months.

In late August, the DRC launched an immunization campaign with the Ervebo vaccine—the only one available on a large scale, designed for the Zaire variant—which has shown promising results against Bundibugyo in animals but lacks human confirmation.

The outbreak has also spread beyond Congolese borders. Uganda declared the end of its own outbreak on August 26, following 20 infections and two deaths. Kenya and Nigeria have also reported cases linked to the DRC's focus.

The WHO continues to assess the risk as "very high" for Congo, "high" for neighboring countries, and "low" globally, without classifying it as a pandemic emergency, although it did declare it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 16.

In response to the outbreak's expansion, the United States will require, starting November 3, a health declaration from all international flight passengers—which includes those from Cuba—certifying they have not been in the DRC in the 21 days preceding boarding. This measure will remain in effect until December 18, 2026.

The only outbreak that surpasses the current one in magnitude remains the West African epidemic between 2014 and 2016, which caused approximately 11,000 deaths and 28,000 infections in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, prompting an unprecedented international response.

The Congolese NIPH has warned that "the situation underscores the need to strengthen early detection, contact tracing, dignified and safe burials, and the safety of response teams."