Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo Becomes Deadliest in History

Health22 sourcesAug 18, 2026

14 placedFactual rigor 52/100

The Story

WHO Spokesperson Tarik Jašarević stated on August 18 that the Ebola virus is circulating in unknown places, with infected people outside treatment centers and undetected transmission chains.

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the deadliest in the country's history, with at least 2,325 deaths among 4,945 confirmed cases, according to Congolese health authorities. This surpasses the 2,299 deaths recorded in the 2018-2020 outbreak, which had 3,323 confirmed cases. The overall case fatality rate for the current outbreak stands at 47%.

The outbreak was declared on May 15, marking the country's 17th recorded outbreak since 1976. It has spread across 55 health zones in six provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, and Tshopo, with Ituri as the epicenter. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated earlier in August that reversing Ebola's spread was possible within three months, but signs indicate the situation has worsened, expanding to a sixth province.

Thierno Balde, WHO incident manager, said containment is possible within three months if necessary resources are available. The WHO has raised about 60% of the US$115 million it seeks for the Ebola response. An extra 400 beds have been added in the past two weeks. The WHO Emergency Committee meets on August 18 to discuss the outbreak, which the UN agency deemed a global emergency on May 17.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a less common Ebola strain than the Zaire virus responsible for the 2018-2020 epidemic. There is currently no approved vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain, though clinical trials are underway in Ituri. A genetic study published in Nature Medicine suggests the Bundibugyo virus emerged through a new animal-to-human transmission.

Conflict, population mobility, and humanitarian pressures complicate surveillance. Community engagement is for effective testing, contact tracing, safe burials, and early treatment. Trish Newport, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, states that communities need more involvement in the response. Major obstacles include unpaid health workers striking, rebel group attacks, poor roads, and misinformation about Ebola.

What they agree on

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country's history.
At least 2,325 people have died and 4,945 confirmed cases have been recorded in the current outbreak.
The outbreak surpasses the 2,299 deaths from the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the outbreak could be brought under control within three months if sufficient resources are available.

Where they split

Some international outlets, such as France 24 and The Straits Times, lead with the WHO's assessment that the outbreak is outpacing the response but can still be controlled, while others like RT (Russia Today) and Africanews focus directly on the grim record of fatalities.
CNN and The Guardian Australia emphasize the outbreak becoming the deadliest in the country's history in their headlines, while Common Dreams and The Independent highlight calls for "global solidarity" or the virus "outpacing the response."
Africanews and AllAfrica provide details on South Sudan's Ebola preparedness efforts along the DRC border, a topic not covered by all other outlets.
Common Dreams and The Guardian include commentary from Devi Sridhar regarding US foreign aid cuts and their potential impact on the response, a perspective not present in other international or US major coverage.