Ebola in the DRC: 3,799 deaths and two new health zones affected

The Ebola epidemic that has been striking the north and east of the Democratic Republic of Congo since May 2026 has caused 3,799 deaths out of 7,890 confirmed cases as of September 23, 2026, according to figures from the World Health Organization reported by Al Jazeera. On September 25, the WHO announced the spread of the disease to two new health zones: Bulu, in South-Ubangi, on the border with the Central African Republic, and Dungu, in Haut-Uélé, along the border with South Sudan. The response now covers 63 health zones across seven provinces.

A map shifting toward North Kivu

Ituri remains the epicenter with 6,032 confirmed cases since May, including 868 in the last three weeks, Al Jazeera reports. But the dynamic is changing: between August 31 and September 20, UN News noted a 26% decrease in cases in Ituri and 15% in Haut-Uélé, compared to a 73% increase in North Kivu. In this province, where the epidemic and armed conflicts overlap, the WHO places the fatality rate at 60%, well above the national average of approximately 48%. Among children under five, UN News cites a rate exceeding 60%.

The price paid by Congolese healthcare workers

In Kisangani, in Tshopo, Dr. Victor Kingombe died of the disease at the treatment center where he worked, which had been inaugurated less than two weeks earlier, Africanews reports. "This disease is real," reacted the province's vice-governor, Didier Lomoyo Iteku, recalling that the doctor had come to save lives. These teams form the front line of a largely Congolese response: UN News counts 49 treatment centers, approximately 1,400 isolation beds, 25 laboratories capable of 3,500 tests per day, and 1,935 recovered patients.

A strain without an approved vaccine

The circulating virus belongs to the Bundibugyo strain, distinct from the Zaire strain responsible for the 2018-2020 epidemics. Al Jazeera emphasizes that no vaccine is approved for it. Africanews indicates that Ervebo, designed for the Zaire strain, was deployed in August in Kisangani and may offer partial protection, with therapeutic trials currently underway.

The weak link remains traceability. The Director of the Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, estimates that more than 7,000 cases should generate approximately 420,000 contacts to be followed, compared to the 30,000 recorded, according to Al Jazeera; UN News, for its part, reports a contact follow-up rate of 88%. Healthcare workers also report late arrivals, as initial symptoms are often confused with malaria or typhoid.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus links the difficulty of the response to conflicts and population displacement in the east. After more than 130 days, the organization warns that this toll could exceed that of the 2014-2016 West African epidemic. The expansion toward two borders places regional coordination, with Bangui and Juba, at the heart of the coming weeks.