DR Congo Ebola cases pass 7,200 as WHO warns outbreak is still growing

The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 7,200 Ebola cases and over 3,500 deaths, the World Health Organization said in its latest assessment of the outbreak.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on 16 September that there were encouraging signs in parts of Ituri province, where transmission was declining from a high level. South Kivu had reported no new cases since May, and more than 1,700 people had recovered.

Those improvements do not amount to a nationwide decline. WHO said the epidemic continued to grow and kill across seven provinces. Ituri alone reported about 300 new cases and 160 deaths in the preceding week, nearly half the national total. In North Kivu, weekly cases almost doubled over two weeks, rising from about 100 to more than 200.

Earlier government figures had put the outbreak at 7,022 cases, including 3,398 deaths and 1,671 recoveries. Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the outbreak appeared to have peaked in the third week of August and that 10 of 61 affected health zones had gone at least 21 days without a new case. WHO’s later briefing shows why those gains must be read locally rather than as evidence that transmission is slowing throughout the country.

The outbreak was detected in mid-May in northeastern Ituri and has spread across parts of eastern and northern Congo. Response teams face long distances, weak transport links, insecurity and occasional attacks on health workers and facilities. WHO said vaccine trials should begin in the coming weeks while studies of treatments and post-exposure prevention gather pace.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Surveillance, contact tracing, prompt care and safe burials therefore remain central to the response.

Sunday Express previously reported on a new treatment centre in Kisangani as authorities increased care capacity.

Sources: World Health Organization, 16 September 2026; Africanews/AP, 17 September 2026.