Ebola in the Congo: 1,400 Dead – Third Most Severe Epidemic

Scale in Historical Comparison

The outbreak declared on 15 May now affects five provinces in the east of the Central African country, which has been shaped by decades of violence. It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo variant of the virus.

The northeastern province of Ituri, on the border with Uganda and South Sudan, is considered the center of the outbreak. Almost 90 percent of cases have been detected in this region, according to the World Health Organization.

Epicenter in the Province of Ituri

So far, Ebola infections have been registered in 5 of the country's 26 provinces, which has a population of 116 million. The World Health Organization assumes that the actual scale of the outbreak could be two to four times larger than official data suggest.

Ebola fever is a life-threatening disease. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals and can trigger severe hemorrhagic fever. According to the authorities, the death rate is currently 43.9 percent – meaning that almost half of all confirmed infections have proven fatal.

Challenge Posed by Rare Virus Type

Combating the outbreak is particularly difficult because, for the Bundibugyo type of Ebola virus, there is neither an approved vaccine nor a specific treatment. According to the University of Oxford, a first volunteer received an experimental vaccine specifically targeted at the Bundibugyo variant.

Since the beginning of July, the clinical testing phase of two antiviral therapies has been underway. The treatment methods are therefore still in the experimental stage and are not widely available.

Conflict and Distrust Hamper Containment

Containment is further complicated by conflicts with armed groups as well as great distrust of aid workers. In the affected region, armed clashes impede access for medical personnel and humanitarian organizations.

Wedding celebrations are now only permitted with a limited number of attendees. The concern about further spread of the virus is too great. Such restrictions on public life are intended to interrupt transmission chains.

Cross-Border Spread

Ebola cases have also been registered in Uganda, where at least two people have died from the disease. According to the French Ministry of Health, there is a first Ebola case in France. The doctor, who returned from the Congo, was taken to hospital and isolated.

Experts assume a high number of unreported infections that have so far gone undetected or unreported. It is assumed that the disease was able to spread unnoticed for weeks in eastern Congo in the spring before the outbreak was officially declared on 15 May.

The current rise in case numbers is largely due to a data update in the two most affected provinces, Ituri and North Kivu. More than 300 new cases were reported in the course of this review. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country's history.

International Response

The World Health Organization is working together with the Congolese authorities to expand surveillance and laboratory capacity. International aid organizations are supplying the affected areas with protective equipment and materials for the safe burial of the deceased.

The authorities see the mobilization of the local population as a crucial factor. Educational work on hygiene measures and safe burial rituals is intended to help break new chains of infection. (APA, 27.07.2026)

This news was broadcast on 27.07.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program. The reporting drew on sources from the news agencies dpa and APA.