Part of: DRC Ebola cases surpass 8,000 as death toll reaches 3,901·5 events

DR Congo Ebola cases reach 7,672 with 3,699 deaths

September 23, 2026 at 01:35 PM2 min

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

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 7,672 Ebola cases and 3,699 deaths as of September 23, 2026. The outbreak has spread to 63 health zones across seven provinces, with 79.9% of contacts under surveillance. A total of 1,879 people have recovered, including 15 in the last 24 hours.

Key Facts

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo reached 7,672 as of September 23, 2026.
The death toll from the outbreak stands at 3,699.
The outbreak has spread to 63 health zones across seven provinces.
A total of 1,879 people have recovered since the outbreak began, including 15 in the last 24 hours.
The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026, after 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths were identified in Ituri province.

Outbreak Spread

The Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry reported that the outbreak has spread to 63 health zones across seven provinces. Contact tracing coverage reached 79.9% of people who had contact with patients. The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026, after 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths were identified in Ituri province. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved treatment or vaccine currently exists.

Recovery and Response

Since the outbreak began, 1,879 people have recovered from Ebola. In the last 24 hours, 15 more recoveries were recorded, 13 of them in Ituri province. Congo has previously begun clinical trials of an Ebola vaccine.

Historical Context

The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The disease was named after the Ebola River, near the village where the outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2014–2017 West Africa epidemic affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, infecting about 30,000 people and killing more than 11,000.