Ebola cases in DR Congo pass 10,000 in fastest-growing outbreak

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have passed 10,000, making it the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the country's history. Government data released on Tuesday, 27 October, put confirmed cases at 10,060 and deaths at 4,887, Al Jazeera and The Washington Times reported.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no vaccine or treatment has yet been approved, and it has spread to several other countries in Africa.

Key points

• Confirmed cases: 10,060; deaths: 4,887, according to DRC government data released on 27 October.
• The outbreak was declared on 15 May 2026 and has spread to 66 health zones in eight provinces.
• The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment; a first vaccine trial began in DRC on 24 October, WHO said.
• About 80% of new cases are coming from outside known chains of transmission, a sign the outbreak is not under control.
• Cases have also been reported in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria, and one patient was evacuated to Switzerland.

How big is the outbreak?

Only the 2014 to 2016 West African epidemic, which infected about 28,600 people, has been larger, Al Jazeera reported. The current outbreak is already the deadliest in DRC's history, with nearly half of confirmed cases fatal.

Different agencies report slightly different totals because data are collected at different times:

WHO's figures from early October put the case fatality rate at about 48%, with 2,269 recoveries.

Why it is hard to stop

• Unknown chains of infection: About 80% of new cases are coming from outside the known chains of transmission, Al Jazeera reported. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says at least 95% of new cases must come from known contacts before an outbreak can be considered under control.
• No approved vaccine: The vaccines and drugs used successfully against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola do not work against Bundibugyo. WHO announced on 24 October that the first clinical trial of a vaccine against this strain had started in DRC.
• Overstretched care: Some treatment centres are overwhelmed and remote areas lack supplies and staff. At least half of those who died were never admitted for treatment, Al Jazeera reported.
• Violence and insecurity: The outbreak includes conflict-hit provinces in eastern DRC such as Ituri and North Kivu. Attackers killed a nurse and seriously injured a colleague in Tshopo province, and responders have gone on strike over unpaid wages.
• Wider health damage: Routine care, including childhood vaccination, has been disrupted, and maternal deaths have doubled in some provinces.

"Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Spread to other countries

Sources: Al Jazeera and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a severe and often deadly viral disease. It spreads through direct contact with the blood, body fluids or tissues of an infected person or animal, or with contaminated objects such as bedding, and not through the air like flu or Covid. People are infectious only once they have symptoms.

• Symptoms: sudden fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding.
• Incubation: 2 to 21 days, which is why contacts are monitored for 21 days.
• Treatment: early supportive care, such as fluids and treating symptoms, greatly improves survival. Approved antibody treatments and a vaccine exist for the Zaire strain, but not yet for Bundibugyo.

A short history of Ebola

Ebola was first identified in 1976, near the Ebola river in what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the DRC has had more Ebola outbreaks than any other country. Before this year, its largest was the 2018 to 2020 outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri, which infected about 3,470 people and killed about 2,280, according to WHO figures at the time.

The Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak was first identified in Uganda in 2007. It has caused far fewer outbreaks than the Zaire strain, which is why vaccines and approved treatments were developed for Zaire first. The current outbreak, in which the Bundibugyo strain has spread faster and further than ever before, has made developing tools against it a global priority.

How Ebola is being fought

• Contact tracing: finding and monitoring everyone who has been in contact with a patient for 21 days.
• Isolation and care: treating patients in dedicated centres with fluids and supportive care, which improves survival.
• Safe burials: the bodies of people who die of Ebola are highly infectious, so burials are handled by trained teams.
• Community trust: working with local leaders so that families report symptoms and accept care, which is hard in areas affected by conflict.
• Vaccine trials: testing candidate vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain, starting with health workers and contacts.

Signs to watch for after travel

Anyone who has been in an affected area and develops sudden fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting or diarrhoea within 21 days should isolate from others and call a doctor or health helpline at once, telling them about the travel. Early care improves the chances of survival, and early isolation protects family members and health workers.

Is there a risk for India?

The risk to India remains low, health experts generally say, because Ebola spreads only through close contact with someone who is already sick. But India takes no chances:

• India has thousands of nationals in Africa, including peacekeepers with UN missions in the DRC and South Sudan, and businesspeople and workers across East and Central Africa.
• During the 2014 West Africa epidemic, India screened arriving passengers at international airports and set up isolation facilities, and similar steps can be activated if needed.
• Travellers returning from affected countries who develop fever within 21 days should tell a doctor about their travel history immediately.

We had not seen any new screening announcement from the Union Health Ministry for this outbreak at the time of writing.

What happens next

The vaccine trial will take time to show results. Until then, the response depends on tracing contacts, isolating patients, safe burials and keeping health workers safe and paid. WHO and Africa CDC are pressing for more funding and access to insecure areas. With cases still rising fast, the outbreak is likely to grow further before it slows.

Ten thousand cases in five months, and no approved vaccine yet. The next few weeks will show whether the response can catch up with the virus.