DRC Ebola Outbreak Tops 10,000 Cases as Cross-Border Spread Accelerates

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded more than 10,000 confirmed cases of Ebola, marking the most rapid expansion of the disease in the country’s history. Government data released on Tuesday show 10,060 confirmed infections and 4,887 deaths.

According to the DRC Ministry of Public Health, nearly half of those confirmed positive have died. This mortality rate makes the current event the deadliest outbreak in Congolese history. When including cases outside the country, the wider epidemic ranks as the second-largest and second-deadliest on record, trailing only the 2014-2016 West African epidemic which infected 28,600 people and killed over 11,000.

Health authorities face a transmission challenge as approximately 80% of new cases arise from chains of transmission that are not currently monitored. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that an outbreak is considered under control only when at least 95% of cases are identified through known contacts of infected individuals.

The virus, identified as the rare Bundibugyo strain, was declared on May 15. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for this specific strain, though the World Health Organization announced on Friday that the first clinical trial for a vaccine has begun.

Responders report that treatment centers are overwhelmed while remote areas lack medical supplies and staff. Cases have been recorded in 66 health zones across eight provinces, a sharp increase from three zones in the initial days of the outbreak. At least half of those who have died were not admitted for treatment. Routine care has been disrupted, with childhood vaccinations interrupted and maternal deaths doubling in some provinces following the declaration.

Staffing and funding issues have led to work stoppages. Last week, responders in Nia Nia, Ituri province, went on strike over bonuses owed since late August. Violence against health workers has also increased. On Saturday, assailants killed a nurse and injured a colleague in Bafwasende, Tshopo province, while they responded to a suspected case. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on X that those protecting communities must work in dignity and safety. Last month, local politician Marie-Celestin Karondwa was fatally beaten after defending the government’s response on the radio.

The outbreak has crossed borders more extensively than any previous Ebola epidemic. In Uganda, Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced on Sunday that citizens returning from the DRC must quarantine for 21 days at their own expense. Uganda has recorded 20 cases and two deaths this summer, mostly imported from the DRC. A Swiss national infected during a September visit to Uganda was diagnosed in Nigeria last week, making Nigeria the fourth African country affected. Nigerian authorities have instituted heightened airport screening and evacuated the patient to Switzerland on Monday.

In Kenya, confirmed infections rose rapidly in October. The country has recorded nine confirmed cases, two of which are fatal. Twenty contacts of the first patient were released from mandatory quarantine on Monday after 21 days, while 98 remain under monitoring according to the WHO.