Ebola outbreak in DRC crosses 2,000 death mark

The Ebola epidemic raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has now claimed over 2,000 lives, marking a grim milestone as the outbreak approaches the devastating scale of the 2018-2020 crisis, the deadliest in the country’s history.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15—several weeks behind schedule—already recognized as the most severe in its history and with potential to become “the largest ever recorded globally,” according to Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The latest official figures from Congolese health authorities, released Tuesday, confirm 2,011 deaths out of 4,381 confirmed cases. The death toll surpassed 1,000 on July 22, underscoring the rapid escalation of the crisis.

The previous deadliest outbreak in the DRC, between 2018 and 2020, resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths from 3,500 recorded cases.

Current mortality in this outbreak stands at 45.9%, according to health officials in the DRC.

“We have not yet reached the peak,” warned Samuel Roger Kamba, DRC’s Health Minister, during an interview shared on X by his ministry on Tuesday.

He added, “Within the next three months, we expect to have slowed the spread and begun to see a decline in new cases.”

The response faces significant hurdles, including persistent insecurity fueled by armed groups and deep-rooted public distrust in affected provinces.

Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, highlighted a critical gap during a press conference in Bunia, capital of Ituri province: “Only 30% of cases are being identified, while 70% of patients are dying at home.”

He emphasized, “This makes this Ebola outbreak unlike any before.”

Vaccine trials underway

On Friday, WHO experts recommended proceeding with clinical trials of the Ervebo vaccine—the only Ebola vaccine currently licensed—despite its lack of specificity for the Bundibugyo variant driving the current outbreak in the DRC.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, called the development “encouraging news” in a post on X.

Experts noted sufficient safety data exists on Ervebo to allow direct progression to Phase 3 trials—typically involving thousands of participants—without prior smaller-scale testing.

Doses of Ervebo from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile, established and funded by Gavi, will be made available to support these trials, WHO confirmed in a joint statement.

The global Ervebo stockpile, produced by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck, holds approximately 500,000 doses, with a portion permanently stored in the DRC due to the country’s recurrent outbreaks, Gavi explained.

Gavi, founded in 2000, is a public-private partnership dedicated to helping low-income countries access affordable vaccines.

Canada has also granted authorization to U.S. biotech firm Moderna to initiate clinical trials for its experimental Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine.

Two additional vaccine candidates are in development: the “rVSV Bundibugyo” vaccine, described by WHO as the most promising and developed by Hilleman Laboratories, and a candidate from the University of Oxford, whose first human trial participant received a dose in late July.

Meanwhile, the United States announced an additional $242 million in funding to combat the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, causes severe hemorrhagic fever and has claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa over the past five decades.