The Democratic Republic of Congo’s health authorities said Saturday that its current Ebola outbreak has become the country’s worst on record, with more than 7,000 confirmed cases since the epidemic was declared in mid-May.
Government figures put the tally at 7,022 cases, with 3,398 deaths and 1,671 recoveries; 837 people remain in isolation or under treatment. Health officials believe the virus, a rare Bundibugyo strain for which no vaccine or treatment is yet approved, was likely circulating undetected for weeks before detection. It marks Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic.
The outbreak began in northeastern Ituri province and has since spread into remote eastern and northern regions marked by decades of armed group activity, weak state presence and limited health infrastructure. It reached a seventh province, South-Ubangi, bordering the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville, earlier this week. According to Africa CDC, the continental health agency, the epidemic is spreading faster than any previous Ebola outbreak on record.
Most cases remain concentrated in Ituri, where the virus’s presence in schools following the return from summer break has unsettled parents; local officials say measures such as mandatory hand-washing and reduced classroom sizes have been introduced in response. Despite the milestone, Congolese authorities on Saturday suggested the outbreak’s spread may be nearing its peak, even as the disease continues to expand geographically.
By comparison, the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record remains the 2014-2016 West African epidemic, which killed more than 11,300 people, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
