With a staggering 2,325 deaths, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic of the Congo (DRC) has now killed more people than 2018-20 outbreak, which killed 2,299, making it the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreak ever. 

The largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded was a 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa, which killed 11,325 over two years. The current outbreak is moving at a faster pace than that outbreak, however, and with no effective vaccine or therapeutics against the Bundibugyo strain, experts warn it could become the world’s deadliest in a matter of months. 

There have been almost 5,000 cases recorded in three months, meaning the case-fatality rate (CFR) is now hovering around 46%. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CFRs in the past two Bundibugyo outbreaks, reported in Uganda and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2007 and 2012, were 30% and 50%, respectively. 

Late last week, United Nations (UN) humanitarian affairs chief Tom Fletcher said that, due to the high CFR, he has allocated an additional $30.5 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to fight the outbreak. The money is in addition to the $24 million previously allocated to the DRC and neighboring countries for this outbreak. 

This is a wake-up call.

“This is a wake-up call,” Fletcher said. “We need speed, scale and solidarity before this virus gets even further ahead of us.” 

In the latest Disease Outbreak News update from the WHO, the agency said the outbreak was showing no signs of abating. 

“During the most recent reporting week (epidemiological week 32, 3 to 9 August 2026), the highest weekly number of reported cases (579) and deaths (304) were recorded, highlighting the exceptional pace of transmission,” the WHO said. As of August 12, 100 new cases were being recorded every 24 hours. 

Infections among health workers continue, the WHO said. with at least 155 confirmed cases, including 45 deaths (CFR, 29%) and 68 recoveries since beginning of the outbreak. 

Tomorrow, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee will hold its second meeting since May regarding the outbreak.