The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) deadliest Ebola outbreak has now passed 100 days, with health officials reporting over 5,500 confirmed cases and more than 2,600 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026. The virus continues to spread rapidly across six provinces, with Ituri province remaining the epicenter.[doctorswithoutborders+6]
Race Against a Spreading Virus
The current Ebola epidemic, declared on May 15, 2026, in Ituri province, has become the largest and deadliest in the DRC's history. It is spreading faster than previous outbreaks, with a daily average of about 90 confirmed cases recorded during the first three months. The overall mortality rate is nearly 48 percent. Efforts to contain the disease face significant obstacles in a region already grappling with conflict, widespread displacement, and food insecurity.[doctorswithoutborders+20]
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that communities are not receiving enough support to control the disease. "This epidemic continues to spread, moving faster than the response can keep up," said Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, MSF's International President. He emphasized the need for better detection, safe isolation for sick people, and support for health workers.[doctorswithoutborders+6]
Challenges on the Ground
The response is severely hampered by ongoing insecurity, recurrent conflict, and attacks on health facilities. Many affected communities are difficult to access, slowing down critical interventions. Alarmingly, about 60 percent of the 260 weekly deaths recorded over the last six weeks occurred outside treatment centers. This highlights persistent challenges in early detection, patient referral, and access to care.[afro+11]
Healthcare workers also face immense risks. As of recent reports, 155 healthcare workers have contracted the Bundibugyo virus, and 50 of them have died. These frontline responders are working under extraordinary pressure, often in dangerous areas.[news+2]
Uganda, a neighboring country, also reported cases earlier in the outbreak. It recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. However, Uganda's Ministry of Health declared its outbreak over on July 28, 2026, after completing a 42-day period with no new cases.[doctorswithoutborders+5]
Scaling Up the Response
Despite the challenges, the response effort has scaled up significantly over the past 100 days. The testing network expanded from a single site to 19 laboratories, now able to analyze more than 3,000 samples daily. Treatment capacity jumped from fewer than 10 beds to over 1,300 beds. Community engagement activities have reached more than 2.5 million people, and contact tracing efforts increased from nine percent in the first week to 84 percent by mid-August.[news+5]
The WHO has deployed over 260 experts, delivered more than 330 tonnes of essential medical and logistical supplies, and allocated $5.6 million for emergency operations. More than 1,400 MSF staff are also on the ground in the DRC and Uganda, setting up treatment centers and delivering supplies.[news+1]
Developing New Tools
A critical challenge is the absence of an approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo virus, which causes this particular Ebola outbreak. Existing treatments and vaccines were developed for other Ebola species, like Ebola Zaire.[doctorswithoutborders+5]
However, pharmaceutical companies and international partners are mobilizing to address this gap. MSD (known as Merck in the US and Canada) is exploring if its ERVEBO vaccine technology for Ebola Zaire can be adapted for Bundibugyo, and is also assessing its antiviral molnupiravir. Moderna is advancing research into a novel Bundibugyo-specific mRNA vaccine candidate, with some candidates already in Phase 1 human testing. Gilead has donated antiviral medicines obeldesivir and remdesivir for ongoing clinical trials to test their effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus.[ifpma+4]
Looking Ahead
UN agencies and health organizations emphasize the need for a faster, more flexible, and community-led response to bring the outbreak under control. Priorities include strengthening community involvement, increasing surveillance and contact tracing to 95 percent, expanding access to care to 3,000 beds, improving protection for healthcare workers, and strengthening cross-border preparedness. Leaders stress that ending the conflict is also crucial to allow frontline teams to reach affected communities safely. The coming months will be vital to build on current efforts and contain the deadly spread of the Bundibugyo virus.[doctorswithoutborders+11]
