Health · DRC · ArchiveDRC Ebola Surpasses 4,000 Cases as Virus Spreads to Five ProvincesAired August 8, 2026 at 1:08 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Confirmed Ebola cases [music] in the0:01Democratic Republic of Congo have now0:03surpassed 4,000 with the death toll0:05climbing [music] to 1,850.0:08Congo announced via France 24 a grim0:10milestone health experts [music] via0:12France 24 describe as one of the fastest0:14moving Ebola epidemics on record. From0:16Bunia in Ituri, described as the center0:18of the epicenter, Heather Kerr, director0:21at the International Rescue Committee,0:22said via France 24 they're seeing nearly0:24100 [music] cases nearly every day.0:26Health experts via France 24 warned the0:29true number of infections could be even0:30higher and the virus was likely0:32circulating for months before that May0:3415th declaration [music] in Ituri.0:36According to a couple of reports, the0:38actual index case goes as far back as0:40February, [music] Heather Kerr said via0:41France 24. And since the declaration,0:44Ebola has now spread to five Congolese0:46provinces per France 24. Part of that0:48delay was diagnostic. [music]0:50Ebola has very similar symptoms to0:52malaria and they were testing for the0:54Zaire strain, but this is the Bundibugyo0:57strain, Heather Kerr said via France 24,1:00causing a delay in recognition.1:07This week, [music] the head of the World1:09Health Organization as well as Doctors1:11Without Borders warned the response1:12needs to be scaled up massively per1:14France [music] 24. Heather Kerr said1:16Ebola treatment centers are filling up1:18and then the suspect cases need to be in1:19isolation,1:20>> [music]1:20>> adding we're in danger of running out of1:22beds in the treatment centers. A person1:24suspected of having Ebola was aboard a1:26packed barge [music] traveling down the1:28Congo River to Kinshasa, a city of over1:3020 million people per France 24. [music]1:33Congolese authorities have intercepted1:35the boat and have promised to step up1:36sanitary measures. Whether a massively1:39scaled response arrives before treatment1:41centers run out of beds and repeated1:42river traffic tests containment to a1:44mega city remains the unresolved1:46consequence.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗Related coverageBackgroundOct 21 09:53 UTCAbuja Ebola patient in isolation as Nigeria traces 44 contactsBackgroundOct 21 08:18 UTCKenya’s Ebola cases reach nine as first quarantined contacts near release