The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could become the deadliest outbreak of the disease ever recorded, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned.
Tedros said the 2026 outbreak could surpass the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.
The outbreak, officially declared on May 15, has reported at least 4,300 cases and more than 2,000 deaths. Health officials believe the virus began spreading months earlier and was initially mistaken for malaria or typhoid.
The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. No approved vaccine or treatment is currently available for this strain.
The spread has been made harder to control by ongoing instability in eastern DRC. Health officials say they are reaching only about 30% of cases.
Ebola can cause fever, headaches, vomiting and severe diarrhea. It spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and can lead to organ failure and death.
Researchers are now working on vaccines and treatments for the Bundibugyo strain. The UK’s medicines regulator has approved human trials of a vaccine being developed by Oxford University. The WHO is also supporting a trial of two existing antiviral drugs.
