The Democratic Republic of Congo is grappling with the worst and fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak ever recorded, with nearly 3,750 confirmed cases and more than 1,650 deaths concentrated in the country's eastern provinces. Jean Kaseya, head of Africa CDC — the African Union's disease prevention and control agency — acknowledged at a recent press briefing that the outbreak remains out of control, with roughly 300 people dying each week. More than 60 percent of those deaths are occurring at home, meaning patients never reach treatment centres and continue to expose family members and community contacts to the virus.

Research published in the journal Science has shed troubling light on how the epidemic gained such momentum. A scientific mission to Mongbwalu, a mining town in Ituri province in eastern DRC approximately 80 kilometres from the provincial capital Bunia, traced probable cases as far back as January 2026 — four months before authorities officially declared the outbreak on 15 May. Investigators identified a likely index case: a 50-year-old woman who died on 25 January after vomiting blood, with several family members and close contacts falling ill shortly afterwards. Factors including cultural secrecy, mystical beliefs, misdiagnosis, and atypical symptoms are thought to have prevented health workers from raising early alarms. By the time the outbreak was officially recognised, according to the report, a "widespread and sprawling epidemic" was already well underway, with an estimated 500 people believed to have been infected before any official response began.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus, which previously caused outbreaks in Uganda in 2007 and in DRC in 2012. The epicentre remains Ituri province, though four additional provinces have recorded cases. The contact-tracing list has grown to around 17,500 people, of whom only approximately 14,000 can be effectively monitored. Resistance from affected communities — including response teams being turned away from remote villages and displacement camps — poses a major operational challenge, compounded by the broader insecurity of an active conflict zone. Kaseya has ruled out using military force to enforce public health measures, citing the risks of deploying state security forces against a civilian population.

Despite the dire situation, there are some encouraging signs. Since early July, experimental treatments aimed at reducing viral load have been administered to 41 patients in a first live-patient trial, and a post-exposure preventive agent is also under testing. The first phase of trials for a new vaccine began on 28 July, with three further vaccine candidates nearing readiness. On the financial side, funding has exceeded initial projections: against an estimated response budget of around 520 million US dollars, more than double that amount has been received, with a significant share coming from African states. Humanitarian aid requests of 882 million dollars have similarly been exceeded. Meanwhile, in the capital Kinshasa — a megacity of some 22 million people roughly 1,700 kilometres to the west — authorities have intensified public awareness campaigns and screening measures, and residents report taking precautions even as daily life continues largely unaffected. Uganda, which had recorded cross-border cases, has reported no new infections for more than three weeks.