The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 6,000 confirmed cases and killed 2,911 people, making it the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country and one of the fastest-growing in history. Health authorities reported 6,041 confirmed cases and 2,911 deaths as of 31 August, with more than 1,300 people having recovered. The outbreak, declared on 15 May, has now spread across six provinces and reached 60 health zones in the country's north and east.

The epidemic is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus — a rare variant for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment currently exists. This has significantly complicated efforts to control transmission. The epicentre remains Ituri province, in the country's northeast, with cases also confirmed in North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak could eventually surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people and remains the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. The current case fatality ratio stands at around 48 percent, reflecting both the severity of the disease and the difficulties in detecting cases and delivering timely care.

In response, the DRC launched a vaccination campaign in late August, administering the Ervebo vaccine — approved for use against other Ebola strains — in the hope that it will offer some level of cross-protection against the Bundibugyo variant. Health Minister Roger Kamba personally administered doses to healthcare workers in Kisangani, a major city in Tshopo province and a key logistical hub in the country's interior. The country is expected to receive a total of 70,000 doses, with frontline workers and healthcare staff among the first to be inoculated. Residents have been lining up to receive the shot. "By getting this vaccine, I am building antibodies in my body and creating a reserve of protection," said Jérôme Bonui Boliaka, head of the Kisangani Nurses' Association.

The response faces serious structural obstacles. The outbreak is unfolding in areas long destabilised by armed conflict, large-scale population displacement, and fragile health infrastructure — conditions that make contact tracing and community outreach extremely difficult. A strike by health workers has added further strain to an already overstretched response system. The rapid movement of people across affected areas has raised concerns about further spread, including across international borders. The WHO assesses the risk as very high within the DRC and high in neighbouring countries.

Authorities and international partners are working to expand surveillance, testing, and treatment capacity, but with the virus continuing to spread amid insecurity and displacement, health officials acknowledge they are in a race against time. The current outbreak has already far surpassed the DRC's previous record epidemic, which recorded 3,317 cases between 2018 and 2020, underscoring the unprecedented scale of the challenge now facing the country and the wider region.