Ebola death toll in DRC surges to at least 930 as outbreak continues spread

Report by Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters.

The current outbreak, the DRC's 17th, was first detected in the northeastern province of Ituri, a region plagued by armed group activity.

Published On 20 Jul 202620 Jul 2026

At least 930 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's latest Ebola outbreak, with the virus now spreading more rapidly.

The health ministry said on Monday that the number of confirmed cases had reached at least 2,344. That is total confirmed total as of Saturday with 37 deaths recorded in just 24 hours from Friday – one of the highest daily increases recorded since the Ebola outbreak was first declared in the DRC on May 15.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week that Ebola is spreading in the DRC faster than in any previous outbreak.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, noted that the 2018-2020 outbreak “took more than 10 months to reach 2,000 confirmed cases”. In contrast, this outbreak reached that milestone in just two months, with the WHO warning the actual count may be twice as high.

“It is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record,” Tedros said. “In the past month, it has expanded faster than any previous outbreak.”

The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak was first detected after several deaths in Ituri, the mineral-rich northeastern province patrolled by several armed groups.

Cases of Ebola, which spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids, have so far been found in five DRC provinces and in neighbouring Uganda. But while Uganda is now close to being “virus-free”, Tedros said, Ebola is spreading at an unprecedented rate in the DRC.

To compound problems in Ituri, where the death toll is growing fastest, healthcare workers began a strike last week and blocked the entrance to Bunia General Hospital. Staff complained of not receiving any compensation for their work since the outbreak began, despite treating patients in difficult and dangerous conditions.

Tedros highlighted that more than 80 percent of new cases were being detected “outside known contact lists, showing that transmission chains are still being missed”.

The health ministry said in its latest update that 724 patients are currently in isolation in hospitals and it is intensifying response efforts in affected areas.

“Patient care and support capacities are consolidating, with 22 new recoveries recorded in 24 hours,” the ministry said.

Health workers in Ituri have gone on strike, blocking access to a major hospital due to unpaid compensation. The WHO has declared this the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record, noting that it is expanding faster than any previous epidemic.