The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded nearly 3,000 confirmed Ebola cases after health authorities reviewed data from two of the country’s hardest-hit provinces, adding more than 300 new infections to the official tally.
According to the latest daily report from the country’s public health institute, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 2,905, including 1,269 deaths.
The updated figures come just days after the number of confirmed Ebola-related deaths surpassed 1,000.
Healthcare workers erect a bonfire as they demonstrate outside the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center to demand payment of two months of back benefits during a mobilization after a visit by Democratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, as authorities intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 25, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere
Data reconciliation drives increase
Officials said Friday’s sharp rise in confirmed cases was primarily the result of reconciling data from Ituri and North Kivu provinces with national records, rather than a sudden spike in new infections.
The revised figures provide a more complete picture of the outbreak, which was officially declared in mid-May.
Health experts, however, believe the virus had already been circulating for weeks before the outbreak was formally identified.
WHO warns outbreak may be much larger
Despite the updated numbers, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the true scale of the outbreak could be two to four times greater than official data suggests.
The current outbreak is Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic and is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
According to health authorities, the strain has a fatality rate of around 40%, and there is currently no approved vaccine available.
