The Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 5,000 cases, government data showed on Wednesday (August 19, 2026), as responders warn it is spreading at an unprecedented speed outpacing efforts to slow it in one of the country’s remotest regions.
Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak had so far recorded 5,021 cases, including 2,378 deaths as of Sunday (August 16, 2026), as it rages in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable fuelled by insecurity, displacement and intense population movements. Residents on Monday (August 17, 2026) attacked a health team in the territory of Aru after a suspected case was reported there.
The outbreak “has spread rapidly and the risk of further national and international spread remains high,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) at a meeting convened by the agency. “We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control,” he said. A mob set fire to an ambulance and damaged two other vehicles, according to Michael Wani, president of the Union of Cultural Associations for the Development of Ituri.
