KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – According to official data up to Aug. 7, the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in 1,916 deaths. The authorities have identified 4,209 confirmed cases during this period. This total is 29 higher than the previous figure of 1,887. Furthermore, 595 patients are currently under treatment in isolation, and 828 individuals have recovered from the virus.
Ituri remains the most severely affected region, with 3,636 confirmed infections and 1,551 fatalities. North Kivu comes next with 470 cases and 315 deaths. Haut Uele has reported 91 infections and 44 deaths, while Tshopo accounts for nine cases and five deaths. South Kivu’s numbers include three cases and a single death. The outbreak has now reached 53 out of 140 health zones spread across the five provinces reporting confirmed cases.
The latest daily update added 89 new confirmed cases and 21 deaths to the national total. Of these, Ituri contributed 73 new infections. North Kivu reported an additional 12 cases, and Haut Uele documented four more. Health teams are tracking 83.4% of identified contacts in affected zones. Authorities are also continuously reconciling surveillance, laboratory, and clinical records as they revise the case and death counts.
Ituri remains the epicenter of the expanding outbreak
The Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed its Ebola outbreak in May after laboratory tests identified Bundibugyo virus. The Ministry of Health has been overseeing surveillance, testing, isolation, contact tracing, and clinical management across impacted areas. Infection prevention measures and safe burial practices are also being enforced to curb further transmission. The virus has spread across several eastern provinces, where ongoing insecurity, population movements, and strained health systems complicate efforts to contain the disease.
Ebola can induce symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, body pains, vomiting, and other critical health issues. In some cases, patients experience bleeding as the disease progresses. This outbreak marks the 17th Ebola event recorded in the country since scientists first identified the virus in 1976. The World Health Organization continues to support response activities that include case detection, laboratory testing, patient care, and infection control as health workers monitor transmission across multiple provinces.
Bundibugyo virus remains without a licensed vaccine
Bundibugyo virus differs from the Zaire Ebola strain targeted by existing licensed vaccines. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease. Medical teams primarily depend on supportive care, including hydration, symptom management, and close patient monitoring. Ongoing research explores candidate vaccines and experimental treatments. By late July, Uganda had confirmed 20 Bundibugyo cases and two deaths, with no new cases reported there after June 21.
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the largest recorded epidemic caused by Bundibugyo virus and ranks as the second-largest Ebola outbreak in history by confirmed case numbers. Transmission remains mainly concentrated in Ituri and North Kivu, which account for most infections and fatalities. Health authorities continue laboratory testing, contact monitoring, patient isolation, and clinical care while updating national figures as new surveillance data are received.