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Ebola outbreak in DRC kills 5,376 people
More than 10,000 people across Africa have been infected, and the fatality rate is above 50%.
2 Nov 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
Africa CDC said the outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, has killed 5,376 people, including 5,372 in the DRC and two each in Kenya and Uganda. A total of 10,444 cases have been confirmed, with a fatality rate above 50%. It is the fastest-growing and most widespread Ebola epidemic on record.
The virus has crossed borders. Uganda recorded 20 cases, almost all in people who had travelled from the DRC, before it was declared Ebola-free in August. Kenya recorded nine infections in October, its first reported case. That same month, Nigeria reported a case involving a 42-year-old Swiss woman whose husband works at the Swiss embassy in Abuja.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccine or treatment is currently available. In recent weeks, clinical trials have begun on the Ervebo vaccine, which has proved effective against the more common Zaire strain of the virus.