DRC Ebola cases top 5,500 as Bundibugyo strain spreads to six provinces

August 24, 2026 at 02:43 PM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reached 5,515, with more than 50 new infections reported in the past 24 hours. The World Health Organization says the outbreak has spread to six provinces, and over 2,640 people have died. The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, against which the Ervebo vaccine is not yet approved.

Key Facts

Confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC reached 5,515, with more than 50 new infections reported in the past 24 hours.
The World Health Organization says the outbreak has spread to six provinces.
Over 2,640 people have died from the fever.
The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, against which the Ervebo vaccine is not yet approved.
WHO previously sent 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to the DRC for the outbreak.

Outbreak Spread

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reached 5,515, with more than 50 new infections reported in the past 24 hours. The World Health Organization reports the infection has spread to six provinces. Over 2,640 people have died from the fever.

Vaccine Gap

WHO previously sent 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine to the country for the outbreak. The vaccine is already used against one strain of Ebola. However, the current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, against which Ervebo is not yet approved. Scientists will assess its possible effectiveness in clinical trials.