DRC’s Ebola epidemic could be the worst in history: 4 things that could help end it

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s fight against Ebola has reached a tipping point.

It can accelerate what it has been doing to bring the latest outbreak under control, or risk allowing it to persist as the worst Ebola epidemic ever recorded.

As at 1 September 2026 , more than 6,186 confirmed cases and 3,007 deaths have been reported since May 2026 when it was first declared.

It is the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the history of the DRC.

The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus that causes Ebola disease.

There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo.

The outbreak is thought to have originated in the high-mobility mining area of Mongbwalu in Ituri, north-east DRC, in late April 2026, before spreading through interconnected communities and healthcare networks to Rwampara and Bunia – health zones in the Ituri province – and subsequently Uganda.

The response to the outbreak has been nationally led by the government of the DRC, with Africa Centres for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and other partners supporting the expansion of surveillance, laboratory capacity, treatment centres, infection prevention and control, vaccination, logistics, community engagement and safe and dignified burials.

Significant progress has been achieved, including interruption of transmission in Uganda through decisive national leadership and close collaboration with communities.

However, in the DRC, insecurity, population mobility, delayed detection, gaps in financing and supplies, and insufficient community ownership have continued to sustain transmission.

The response is therefore not yet sufficient to interrupt transmission in the DRC.

This underscores the need to bring surveillance, testing, treatment, vaccination and community engagement closer to the village level.

As public health experts with expertise in Ebola who have been at the forefront of containing the latest outbreak in DRC, it is our view that more is required.

What’s required is informed by the four factors that have made this epidemic difficult to control: the DRC’s difficult geographical and humanitarian environment highly mobile populations low trust and poor community engagement the incomplete scientific arsenal against the Bundibugyo virus.