Ebola Outbreak in Congo: Case Count Tops 10,000

The Democratic Republic of the Congo declared an Ebola outbreak on May 15, but the scale of the crisis has grown beyond initial projections.

Government data released Tuesday shows the number of confirmed cases has reached 10,060, with 4,887 deaths.

Health officials describe this as the fastest-growing and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC's history. Nearly half of those infected have died.

The epidemic is also the second-largest on record globally, trailing only the 2014-2016 West African outbreak that infected 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000.

The virus strain involved is Bundibugyo, a rare type for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists. The World Health Organization announced on Friday that the first clinical trial for a vaccine has begun.

Transmission remains difficult to track. Authorities report that about 80% of new cases arise from outside the monitored chains of contact. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention states that at least 95% of cases must come from known contacts for the outbreak to be considered under control.

Five months into the emergency, medical infrastructure is straining. Cases have spread to 66 health zones across eight provinces, up from three in the initial days. Responders cite a lack of vehicles and medical supplies in remote areas. At least half of the deceased were never admitted to treatment centers.

The outbreak has also disrupted routine healthcare. Maternal deaths doubled in some provinces shortly after the declaration, and childhood vaccination schedules have been interrupted. Wage disputes have led to strikes, including one in Nia Nia, Ituri province, where workers stopped over bonuses unpaid since late August.

Violence has targeted health workers. 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 posted on X that everyone protecting communities must work in dignity and safety. Last month, local politician Marie-Celestin Karondwa was fatally beaten after defending the response on radio.

The virus has crossed borders more extensively than in previous epidemics. Uganda announced Sunday that returning citizens from the DRC must quarantine for 21 days at their own expense. Uganda has recorded 20 cases and two deaths, mostly imported from the DRC.

A Swiss woman married to a diplomat contracted the virus during a September visit to Uganda. She was diagnosed in Nigeria last week, making it the fourth African country affected. Nigerian officials instituted heightened airport screening, and the patient was evacuated to Switzerland on Monday for treatment.

Kenya has reported nine confirmed cases, two of which are fatal. Twenty contacts of the country's first patient were released from quarantine on Monday after 21 days, while 98 remain under monitoring, according to the WHO.