Over 6,000 Ebola cases confirmed in DRC as death toll nears 3,000

Published On 31 Aug 202631 Aug 2026.

Key points

• The DRC Ministry of Communications remarked on social media that 6, 041 cases have been confirmed, including 1, 366 recoveries and 2, 911 deaths.
• Uganda was declared free of the Ebola virus after no new cases were documented for 42 days on August 28.
• There is at present no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
• Frontline healthcare workers went on strike in early August to protest their unpaid wages and the dire working conditions.

Notably, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has topped prior surges – becoming the worst the country has experienced – as new data confirms there are now over 6, 000 confirmed cases and almost 3, 000 deaths.

There is at present no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. It is rapidly spreading nationwide.

As individuals continue to be infected with the virus faster than frontline workers can track and respond to new cases, the current Ebola outbreak is "the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic ever recorded", according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. This is partly due to plenty of new infections occurring among residents who are not being monitored through contract tracing, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

For context, the DRC Ministry of Communications remarked on social media that 6, 041 cases have been confirmed, "including 1, 366 recoveries and 2, 911 deaths. 619 patients are in isolation or hospitalised."

Notably, the response to the outbreak faces a number of challenges as cases are mostly concentrated in the eastern provinces of the DRC where densely-populated areas experience insecurity related to armed conflict, displacement and pre-existing humanitarian challenges.

As well as airport closures and flight restrictions, are complicating the provision of healthcare, disrupting the flow of staff, diagnostics, referrals and supply chains, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders notes existing health needs.

In short, over 6, 000 Ebola cases confirmed in DRC as death toll nears 3, 000 is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.