Ebola Outbreak Claims Over 5,300 Lives in DR Congo, Spreading Across Borders

Medical workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), clad in personal protective equipment, prepared to inter the coffin of Dr. Marie-France Shogogo. Dr. Shogogo succumbed to the Ebola virus at an Ebola treatment centre and was buried at Nyamurongo cemetery in Bunia, Ituri province, on October 31, 2026. This image was captured by Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reports that the current Ebola outbreak in Africa has resulted in over 5,300 fatalities, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) bearing the brunt of the crisis. The DRC is identified as the epicentre of this outbreak, having declared its 17th and most extensive Ebola outbreak in mid-May.

As of Monday, data from the Africa CDC indicates that 5,376 people have died from the virus. Of these, 5,372 deaths occurred in the DRC, while Kenya and Uganda each recorded two fatalities.

The Bundibugyo strain of the virus is responsible for the current epidemic, infecting approximately 10,444 individuals across the DRC, Uganda, and Kenya. The fatality rate for this strain exceeds 50 percent. The virus has demonstrated its ability to cross international borders multiple times in recent months.

Neighboring Uganda reported 20 cases, predominantly among individuals who had travelled from the DRC. The country was declared Ebola-free in August. In October, Kenya documented two deaths and nine infections, marking its first recorded cases of Ebola. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, health authorities confirmed that tests on two suspected cases in the northeast region returned negative. Abuja had reported its first imported case in October, the first in over a decade, with no recorded deaths.

France reported a single case in July involving a health worker who had returned from the DRC. Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines specifically for the Bundibugyo strain. However, clinical trials for the Ervebo vaccine, which has shown efficacy against the more common Zaire strain, have commenced in recent weeks.