DR Congo has recorded 7,258 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,510 deaths, although infections are showing an overall decline….reports Africa Daily News Desk
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 7,258 confirmed Ebola cases across seven provinces, with the epidemic showing an overall downward trend despite continued transmission in some areas.
According to government data covering the situation as of Sunday, the outbreak has claimed 3,510 lives, while 1,726 patients have recovered. Another 905 people were either in isolation or receiving hospital treatment.
The overall fatality rate stands at 48.4 per cent, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, head of the National Institute of Public Health, said after a strategic coordination meeting in Kinshasa on Monday that the epidemic curve was continuing to decline, with the peak apparently reached around mid-August.
However, he warned that the downward trend was not uniform across the country. Some provinces, particularly North Kivu, continue to report rising numbers of cases.
The government said on Friday that the outbreak was under control and had passed its peak, while acknowledging the continued risk posed by local flare-ups and ongoing transmission.
“The 17th Ebola outbreak is under control, and the peak was reached at the beginning of the third week of August 2026,” government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said, citing Health Minister Roger Kamba.
Several indicators point to an improvement in the situation. The government said 10 health zones that had been affected before the latest expansion of the outbreak had reported no new cases for at least 21 days.
Transmission has also slowed in several areas of Ituri province, which remains the epicentre of the outbreak.
The outbreak has so far affected 62 health zones across seven provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele, Tshopo and Sud-Ubangi.
Sustained transmission continues in Ituri, North Kivu and Haut-Uele, while sporadic cases have been reported in Tshopo and Bas-Uele.
The current outbreak was declared in May and has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC’s history, according to the government.
The outbreak is also the second-largest Ebola epidemic recorded globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
Despite the overall decline in infections, health authorities continue to face challenges from active transmission and the emergence of cases in additional provinces, highlighting the need for continued surveillance and response measures.
