Eastern Congo Ebola toll tops 1,700 as tracing failures fuel community spread

Bunia,UPDATED: Aug 4, 2026 15:10 IST

Eastern Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,700 people, making it the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease, according to the latest official data. As of Tuesday, 3,802 cases had been recorded, with 1,707 deaths.

Officials say it is still not clear when the outbreak will reach its peak. During his second visit to Bunia near the centre of the outbreak on Tuesday, Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said nearly 80 per cent of new cases were not being identified through contact tracing, but were instead linked to spread within communities.

The outbreak was declared on May 15 and has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. The Africa CDC has said the response has been slowed by delays in contact tracing, difficulties in reaching affected areas, mistrust among communities, and violence by armed groups and some residents.

Most cases have been reported in the remote Ituri province in eastern Congo, which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of infections. Cases have also been confirmed in five other provinces, including Kisangani, one of the country's largest cities. Neighbouring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola after its last patient was discharged in mid-June.

On Monday, healthcare workers in the badly affected town of Mongbwalu issued an ultimatum over unpaid wages, saying that "if nothing is done within 24 hours, we will escalate our action". Earlier, healthcare workers in Bunia had also gone on strike over unpaid wages and unsafe working conditions. The World Health Organization has said more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the outbreak began.

A major challenge for the response is that patient zero has still not been identified. Displacement caused by armed conflict and illegal mining in the region has also made it difficult to trace thousands of people who may have come into contact with infected individuals.

Officials have also pointed to a funding gap, attacks on health centres, continuing conflict in eastern Congo, and mistrust among local communities as obstacles to containing the outbreak. At the same time, enrolment has recently begun in Ituri for a closely watched study of two possible Ebola treatments.

The outbreak has killed people at a faster rate than any previous Ebola outbreak, including the 2014-2016 outbreak in which 28,000 cases were reported and more than 11,000 people died. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths, while the current outbreak continues to spread amid conflict, funding shortfalls and problems in tracing infections.

With PTI Inputs

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