According to government data released on Monday, more than 300 people died of Ebola in eastern Congo in the past week, marking one of the highest weekly tolls since the outbreak began. As of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths, with 317 deaths reported in the previous seven days. Congolese experts suggest the outbreak, which may have started weeks before it was confirmed, could be three times the known size ¹.

This Ebola outbreak is described as the fastest-growing in history, with many fatalities occurring outside treatment centers. The fatality rate stands at 47.9% overall, but reaches 68.6% in hard-to-reach areas such as North Kivu province. A significant challenge has been the lack of approved vaccines or treatments specifically for the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak. However, Congo recently received over 16,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which was effective against a different, more common type of Ebola in past outbreaks. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that while it is not yet known if Ervebo can protect against the Bundibugyo virus, early laboratory and animal data suggest it may offer some protection ¹.

Footnotes

1. Yahoo News. (2026, August 18). Congo’s Ebola outbreak records one of its highest weekly death tolls yet. https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/congos-ebola-outbreak-records-one-130920369.html ↩ ↩²

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