The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak surpassed 11,000 cases, reaching 11,042 infections and 5,387 deaths by Wednesday, according to latest health ministry data.
Congo Faces Historys Deadliest Ebola Epidemic
Declared in mid-May, the current epidemic is Congo’s 17th outbreak and the deadliest in the country’s history, maintaining a case fatality rate of 48.9 percent among 11,114 confirmed cases and 5,433 deaths recorded as of Nov. 10, Xinhua reported.
The virus has spread across eight of the country’s 26 provinces, fueled by armed conflicts, health system strains, and community mistrust.
The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026, while the Government of the DRC updated its national response plan through January 2027.
International partners including the European Union, the World Bank, and the United Nations Children’s Fund have assisted in the response, alongside the WHO and Africa CDC.
To reduce the risk of #Ebola transmission during burials, WHO is supporting the training and equipping of community volunteers in Jina, Ituri, DRC. Dr Danny Byarumanga, Medical Director of Jina Referral Health Centre, contributes to this effort by helping volunteers strengthen… pic.twitter.com/AhtgnxZqJg
The outbreak crossed 1,000 confirmed cases within 40 days of activation, compared to 235 days during the 2018 outbreak, Firstpost noted.
Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe aided in discovering Ebola back in 1976 and now heads Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research.
“It’s very disappointing.”
Violence in Eastern Provinces Disrupts Disease Containment
Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba reported that Ituri Province makes up nearly 70% of all cases, while North Kivu has surfaced as the primary location for fresh infections.
The resurgence of violence in these eastern provinces has severely disrupted containment work.
Front-line health workers are facing severe pressures, according to situation reports from the DRC’s INSP (Institut National de Santé Publique).
Médecins Sans Frontières president Javid Abdelmoneim said that teams have been left speechless by widespread dysfunctions.
MSF raised concerns over an excessive concentration of efforts in certain areas at the expense of more urgent needs, pointing out that the response was too slow in North Kivu while Haut-Uélé remained overlooked.
Insecurity is now one of the greatest obstacles to the #Ebola response in the #DRC. During an attack on the town of Cantine-Aloya last week, 66 civilians were killed, including three health workers, and three health facilities were looted and burned. More than 1000 contacts have… pic.twitter.com/VOTG7xnkAA
In Haut-Uélé, health care providers have threatened to strike over nonpayment.
World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned during a briefing to Member States that insecurity, attacks on health workers and humanitarian facilities, and funding delays are undermining containment efforts.
OCHA Ebola response coordinator in Bunia James Harneis said that armed violence has become an immediate threat, with more people killed by Allied Democratic Forces violence than by Ebola in recent days, noting ties to the Islamic State.
Special Briefing on Ebola Outbreak Response | Nov. 12 2026 https://t.co/hzU3LI8A4v
This appalling attack represents both a major humanitarian emergency and a significant setback to the response
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO)
Médecins Sans Frontières reported that hundreds of millions of dollars meant to tackle the epidemic are not reaching frontline workers, who are going unpaid and facing critical supply shortages, according to the BBC.
MSF called on UN agencies and the Congolese government to step up monitoring and responsibility.
Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya raised concerns last month that $700m out of $962m disbursed to implementing organizations was unaccounted for.
“Our requirement is clear: transparency must be total. The response relies on a single plan, a single budget, and a single coordination,” Samuel-Roger Kamba said on X.
MSF President Javid Abdelmoneim criticized the operational failures on the ground.
“Our teams are often left speechless by the dysfunctions they witness in many areas. Six months into the response, this situation is simply unacceptable,” Abdelmoneim said.
Medical Trials Target Bundibugyo Ebolavirus
The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, a distinct species of Orthoebolavirus first identified in 2007 in the Bundibugyo district of western Uganda, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, though clinical trials are underway.
The Tumaini clinical trial currently underway in the DRC has been advised to incorporate two experimental vaccines specifically formulated against the Bundibugyo virus, WHO stated.
Join us this Thursday for an important briefing on health emergencies across the continent. Date: 12 Nov 2026 Time: * 16:00 | EAT (GMT+3) * 15:00 | SAST (GMT+2) * 14:00 | CAT (GMT+1) * 13:00 | WAT (GMT) Register to participate : https://t.co/9jqOg8bCLT The briefing will… pic.twitter.com/f3zDwSlaXH
WHO officials emphasized that vaccines remain secondary to fundamental public health measures.
“Vaccines are powerful tools, but they’re not substitutes for the proven measures that can save lives now,” WHO said.
Neighboring countries have reported imported cases linked to the DRC epidemic.
Earlier coverage: Ebola Cases in DRC Surpass 11,000 Amid Widest Geographic Spread on Record
