Ebola Outbreak in Congo Escalates With 1,300+ Fatalities

WHO:

Al Jazeera - Abdulsalami Nasidi, public health consultant and co-founder of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Al Jazeera - Katrina Pollock, chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Group.

Al Jazeera - Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC.

ABC News - Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo.

WHAT:

Al Jazeera - The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 1,309.

Al Jazeera - The total number of confirmed cases, including deaths, has climbed to 2,973, a 27 percent rise from the previous week.

Al Jazeera - The outbreak is described as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever documented.

Al Jazeera - More than 100 health workers have been infected since the outbreak was declared in May, with around 35 deaths among them.

Al Jazeera - Approximately 100 workers protested outside the Elikya Ebola Treatment Centre over unpaid bonuses.

Al Jazeera - A doctor and a health worker were among the latest victims of the outbreak.

WHERE:

Al Jazeera - The outbreak is occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically in the northeastern province of Ituri.

Al Jazeera - Rwampara General Hospital near Bunia operates a major Ebola treatment center.

Al Jazeera - The Elikya Ebola Treatment Centre is located in the provincial capital of Bunia.

WHEN:

Al Jazeera - The outbreak was declared in May.

Al Jazeera - A volunteer received the first dose of an experimental vaccine on a Friday.

Al Jazeera - The largest Ebola outbreak in history occurred between 2013 and 2016.

WHY:

Al Jazeera - The virus spreading in the DRC is Bundibugyo, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Al Jazeera - The epidemic is unfolding in an area of active hostilities, compounding the shortage of public health resources.

Al Jazeera - Health workers are striking due to unpaid wages and unsafe working conditions.

HOW:

Al Jazeera - Contact tracing now reaches roughly 80 percent of known contacts, but response teams still cannot reach every village.

Al Jazeera - The Oxford Vaccine Group is developing a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine through a multinational collaborative effort.

(UPDATED July 25, 2026 22:15 UTC)

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tragically surpassed a death toll of 1,309, with confirmed cases rising to 2,973, marking a 27 percent increase from the previous week. This outbreak, described as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever documented, has also seen over 100 health workers infected since its declaration in May, leading to protests over unpaid bonuses at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Centre in Bunia. Meanwhile, the Oxford Vaccine Group is working on a vaccine for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, as contact tracing efforts now cover about 80 percent of known contacts, although many villages remain unreachable.