The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 9,066 confirmed Ebola cases and 4,381 deaths, according to government figures reported by Reuters and the Associated Press on October 13. The new tally underscores the continuing difficulty of containing the outbreak declared in May, as infections spread through multiple hotspots.
Reuters reported that the epidemic is now the largest and deadliest in Congo’s history, exceeding the 2018–2020 outbreak. It involves the Bundibugyo virus, for which no vaccine or specific treatment is approved. The World Health Organization says researchers are working to test promising candidates.
The Associated Press reported that 65 health zones across seven provinces are affected and that many deaths occur outside treatment centers. Officials cited by the agency estimate confirmed infections represent only about a third of all cases, indicating that the reported total does not capture the full scale of transmission.
WHO describes a response complicated by humanitarian crisis, insecurity and substantial movements of people and goods. Its outbreak overview identifies both remote and densely populated areas as challenges. These conditions make surveillance and reaching affected communities central parts of the effort to interrupt transmission.
The regional dimension remains significant. Reuters reported that Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths earlier this year before being declared Ebola-free in August. Kenya confirmed its first imported case last week: a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from Congo through Uganda and died in Nairobi.
WHO says it is expanding support for surveillance, contact tracing, clinical preparedness, patient care and supplies, alongside cross-border readiness. It also identifies community participation as essential to bringing outbreaks under control. Testing vaccine and treatment candidates continues alongside those measures; the agency’s overview does not announce an approved product for Bundibugyo.
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