Health · Congo Ebola outbreakCongo Ebola Now Second-Largest Ever — One Death Every 30 MinutesAired August 16, 2026 at 1:04 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic0:01[music] of Congo has become the second0:03largest outbreak on record and is0:05described as the fastest growing now0:07killing one person [music] every 300:09minutes. More than 2100 people have died0:12with a case fatality rate of 47% a pace0:15that puts a new death every half hour on0:16the clock.0:18The virus has expanded beyond the five0:20provinces and 53 health zones previously0:22tracked with spread now confirmed to a0:24sixth province bordering the Central0:26African Republic. Ituri remains the0:28epicenter accounting for about 90% of0:30cases and 80% of deaths since the0:32outbreak was first declared there in0:34May. While treatment capacity is0:36overwhelmed with just 80 beds at a local0:38center. Contact tracing is reported at0:40about 12% far below the 95% needed to0:44control transmission as [music]0:45community resistance misinformation0:47delays and security threats leave0:48national and international response0:50efforts outpaced.0:51>> [music]0:51>> Families are dying faster than the0:53system can isolate trace or treat. The0:55current toll now sits second only to the0:572014-2016 West Africa outbreak that1:00killed [music] more than 11,000 and it1:03is on track to surpass that record if1:04containment does [music] not scale. This1:06account comes from a single broadcast1:08report without independent confirmation1:10so far leaving the most consequential1:12question unresolved [music] whether1:14tracing beds and community engagement1:16can be scaled fast enough to stop this1:17outbreak before it becomes the deadliest1:19ever recorded.1:21Like and follow for more stories that1:23matter.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