The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing its deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, with the virus claiming a life approximately every 30 minutes, according to UN officials, as reported by infohub.kz.
The death toll has surpassed 2,000. Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, 2026, 2,325 people have died. This already exceeds the number of deaths from the previous major outbreak, which lasted from 2018 to 2020.
As of August 12, there have been 4,945 confirmed cases, including 101 in the previous 24 hours. The virus has spread to six of the country's 26 provinces. The World Health Organization has called the rate of spread exceptional.
For comparison, during the deadliest Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2016, it took nearly five months for deaths to reach 1,000. The current outbreak surpassed 2,000 deaths in about three months.
As of August 12, neighboring Uganda has confirmed 20 cases. Two more patients were treated in Germany, and one case was reported in France.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that the current epidemic is caused by a rare strain called Bundibugyo. The infection is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, such as blood.
The situation is compounded by ongoing conflicts in the country and strikes by health workers due to unpaid wages.
There is no approved vaccine specifically for the current strain yet. According to the BBC, the UK regulator MHRA has authorized the first human trials of an experimental vaccine developed by scientists at Oxford University.
Several other research groups are working on their own vaccines. In addition, the WHO is supporting a clinical trial in DR Congo to test whether two existing antiviral drugs can improve patient survival.