Congo's Ebola cases surpass 11,000, government data show
Red Cross workers disinfect Rwampara General Hospital in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 21, 2026. Kenya’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak raises concerns over women’s reproductive health.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 11,000, government data showed on Tuesday.
Confirmed infections now total 11,042, and 5,387 people have died, the data showed
The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, was declared in mid-May. There are no approved treatments or vaccines for this species
It is the second-largest and deadliest outbreak on record behind only the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000
Eight of Congo's 26 provinces have been affected, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centres
Delayed detection, conflict and strained health services have led to a more rapid spread of the virus than in previous outbreaks
The disease has now been reported in East, Central and West Africa, giving it the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date
