A health worker walks past a young patient at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, North Kivu province, Congo, Monday, November 2, 2026.
Sébastien Kitsa Musayi/AP
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Sébastien Kitsa Musayi/AP
BUNIA, Congo — Congo’s Ebola outbreak has surpassed 11,000 cases, the government announced Wednesday, a grim figure that underscores the gravity of the situation as the country grapples with the disease’s relentless spread.
According to the latest health ministry data, 11,042 people have been infected with the deadly virus which has killed 5,387 people, almost half of those infected in what has been Congo’s deadliest outbreak.
The outbreak broke out in mid-May and since then Congolese authorities have struggled to contain it due to several factors, including armed conflict, a crisis in the health system, poor roads and violence by residents fueled by mistrust and misinformation.
The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this epidemic has no known vaccine or treatment and has spread to eight of the country’s 26 provinces.
The resurgence of violence in the two main hotspots of the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu has sparked concern among health authorities who are calling for an end to fighting to allow health workers unhindered access to the sick.
Health facilities and health professionals have also been targeted by many communities skeptical of the virus, and several attacks have been carried out against health workers.
Experts have called for more efforts to slow and contain the disease in Congo, as it has spread to several African countries, including Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
Dozens of Ebola outbreaks have been reported since the disease was discovered in 1976. The largest and deadliest occurred in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, with 28,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths.
The current outbreak is already in second place and has recorded at least three times as many cases and deaths since it was declared, compared to the West African outbreak.
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