Ebola in the DRC: 4,336 deaths and a 48% fatality rate, with North Kivu concentrating new cases

The Ebola epidemic that has been striking the Democratic Republic of Congo since it was declared on May 15, 2026, has reached 8,978 cases and 4,336 deaths, according to the report from the Congolese National Institute of Public Health published on October 11, 2026, and reported by Africanews. This is nearly twice the number of deaths from the 2018-2020 epidemic, which killed approximately 2,300 people and was caused by a different species of the virus.

A strain without a vaccine

The strain involved is Bundibugyo. For this one, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment, the World Health Organization reminds us: the response relies on supportive care, early detection, and infection prevention. In its update on October 6, the WHO recorded 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths, with 2,269 recoveries, representing a crude fatality rate of 48.2%: nearly one in two patients dies. Cases have been recorded in 64 health zones spread across seven provinces.

The epicenter shifts toward North Kivu

Ituri remains the most affected province in cumulative terms, but the center of gravity of the epidemic is shifting toward North Kivu. According to Doctors Without Borders, this province accounted for nearly 40% of the country's new cases as of October 5, 2026, compared to 24% at the end of August. The organization also indicates that 34% of confirmed patients were, as of September 28, being treated in non-specialized facilities due to a lack of beds. Stephanie Hoffmann, coordinator of the MSF center in Butembo, states that treatment capacity is "pushed to its limit."

Contact tracing below the target

The monitoring of exposed individuals, a key to the response, remains insufficient. As of October 4, the WHO had been able to monitor 23,741 of the 29,535 identified contacts, or 80.4%, which is below the 85% target. Africa CDC is calling for a response rooted in communities: active case finding, systematic tracing, and daily monitoring. Its Director General, the Cameroonian Jean Kaseya, insists on the necessity of knowing where each contact is located.

In Beni and Butembo, teams are facing an obstacle that is not medical. Insecurity, rumors, and misinformation fuel distrust, denounces Daniel Makasi Levergénois, founder of Watoto Radio. Alberto Lusenge, a community leader in Beni, warns that this distrust can discourage residents from reporting their symptoms and cooperating with response teams, which are sometimes attacked. These are the same territories that have been exhausted by armed massacres and the collapse of public services for a decade.

An imported case contained in Kenya

The epidemic crossed a border in early October. A 40-year-old Kenyan, who tested positive in the DRC, traveled by road to Kampala and then by plane to Nairobi, where he arrived on October 3; hospitalized and isolated, he died on October 5. The Kenyan Ministry of Health announced on October 11 that it had recorded no new cases since: out of 122 listed contacts, 108 are in quarantine without symptoms, and all 293 samples tested have come back negative. Africa CDC specifies that this is an imported case and not a Kenyan epidemic. Nairobi has set up an information hotline, 719, and is calling for vigilance.