1,031 deaths have now been confirmed in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, Africa CDC said, pushing the toll past 1,000 in what officials call the fastest Ebola outbreak on record.
2,473 cases had been recorded by Monday, with 737 patients isolated or hospitalized, but the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment and WHO says the real caseload could be two to four times higher.
Less than 9% of expected contacts are being monitored and more than 60% of deaths occur in the community before care, underscoring how far containment has slipped.
Conflict, attacks on health teams, unpaid workers, burial-supply shortages and resistance to safe burials are disrupting operations in Ituri and other affected provinces, while 80% of new cases arise outside known transmission chains.
Researchers have warned the outbreak could grow toward the scale of West Africa’s 2014-2016 epidemic if coordination, funding and access do not improve quickly.
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Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak in DRC: Over 930 Dead, Unprecedented Spread, and Global Response as of July 22, 2026
Overview
As of July 22, 2026, the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a rapidly worsening Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, first declared on May 15, 2026. The crisis has resulted in at least 930 deaths, with a sharp increase of 37 deaths in just one day, marking one of the highest daily tolls since the outbreak began. The World Health Organization has noted that this outbreak is spreading faster than any previous Ebola outbreak on record. With 2,344 confirmed cases, the situation highlights the urgent need for effective response and control measures to prevent further escalation.