Ebola cases climb to over 1,800 in DR Congo as virus spreads to 4th province

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 1,800, official data showed Saturday, as the virus spread to a fourth province in the northeastern part of the country.

The total tally reached 1,830, including 648 deaths, since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to the Health Ministry’s situation update.

Some 780 patients are currently under treatment, while 284 people have recovered.

The outbreak has been concentrated in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.

The ministry said the response to Ebola continues in the three provinces with “strengthened national coordination, epidemiological surveillance, and community mobilization.”

However, on Friday, authorities reported that the outbreak spread to a new Haut-Uele province in northeastern Congo after seven fatal cases were confirmed in the Wamba health zone.

Donors and partners have pledged $910 million to support the Ebola response in Congo and Uganda, where 20 cases have been reported.

On Friday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said it has been strengthening the Ebola response in Congo through the deployment of multidisciplinary expert teams to priority health zones, which account for 83% of cases, as part of the decentralized response approach.

Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said the current Ebola outbreak in Congo serves as a stark reminder that every moment counts and every delay costs lives.

“That is why Africa’s ability to detect, respond, and contain outbreaks must be built where health threats emerge – in communities, through trusted health workers, strong surveillance systems, and rapid access to financing,” he said in a post on the US social media platform X.

On May 17, two days after the outbreak was declared in Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.