The Ebola outbreak in the DRC

The story so far

1. 

   Update 14Oct 20 06:10 UTC6 days later

   Two Ebola cases bring Congo’s outbreak to an eighth province

   Two confirmed cases and one death in Wapinda extend the outbreak into Nord-Ubangi. How the men became infected—and whether their contacts have been reached—remains unknown.

   Still open after this report

   • No Wapinda contact count, tracing-completion figure, isolation location, treatment-bed capacity, deployed-team size or specimen-transport timetable has been established.
2. 

   Update 13Oct 14 12:54 UTC29 days later

   Ebola fear keeps Congo families from maternity and child care

   Deliveries at one Butembo clinic have fallen from about 50 a month to as few as 15. Across the outbreak, the loss of everyday care is becoming an emergency of its own.

3. 

   Update 12Sep 15 11:56 UTC17 days later

   3,000 Dead and No Vaccine: Ebola Outruns Help in Eastern Congo

   In Mangualu, a new-strain Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 with no vaccine to stop it, while miners move, militias block roads, and fear turns on health workers.

   Still open after this report

   • No independently verified case count, exact start date in May, specific strain identity, or location of the surge 40 kilometers away.
   • Which militias control blocked villages and what funding shortfalls limit staffing and supplies.
4. 

   Update 11Aug 29 11:37 UTC6 days later

   Ebola Spreads to 60 Zones as Vaccine's Match Questioned

   Congo's Ebola outbreak hit 60 health zones as medics began compassionate use of a Zaire-strain vaccine against Bundibugyo — unproven against the strain driving nearly 3,000 deaths.

   Still open after this report

   • The true infection and death tolls amid access limits, and when trial data will establish efficacy against Bundibugyo.
5. 

   Update 10Aug 23 16:48 UTC36 hours later

   16,000 Ebola Doses Land in Congo — For the Wrong Strain

   Congo received 16,250 doses of a Zaire-strain Ebola vaccine to fight a Bundibugyo outbreak with no licensed shot or cure — a stopgap of uncertain strength as deaths mount and most infections go undetected.

   Still open after this report

   • No verified verbatim quotations from WHO or DRC officials in provided sources; exact wording of authorizations is missing.
   • Whether Ervebo provides any meaningful human protection against Bundibugyo.
   • Exact current case and death totals amid rapidly moving and disagreeing snapshots.
6. 

   Update 9Aug 22 04:38 UTC3 days later

   Congo Ebola Deaths Double Pace as Outbreak Outruns Response

   More than 2,500 dead by late August — half in 20 days — in what agencies call history's fastest Ebola outbreak, with no matched vaccine and response funds nearing exhaustion.

   Still open after this report

   • No verified total infection count, fatality rate, or detailed funding timeline has been made public.
   • No confirmed end to exponential growth; AP and WHO warnings say it had not peaked.
7. 

   Update 8Aug 19 15:30 UTC4 days later

   Congo Ebola Nears 5,000 Cases as Attack Cripples Response Teams

   Congo's Ebola outbreak has passed 5,000 cases and 2,300 deaths, centered in Ituri, as attacks on health workers and mistrust leave access — not medicine — as the limit.

   Still open after this report

   • Whether specific mid-August attacks in Aru and Mambasa territory occurred as described in early video narration, with exact numbers of ambulances, injuries, killings and abductions.
   • The full extent of geographic spread beyond Ituri and the true infection toll given delayed detection and limited access.
8. 

   Update 7Aug 16 01:04 UTC22 hours later

   Congo Ebola Is Now the Deadliest in Its History — and Still Growing

   With 2,325 dead and 4,945 cases, Congo's Bundibugyo outbreak has passed its own national record and is now the world's second-largest — spreading faster than anything the country has contained before.

   Still open after this report

   • No independently confirmed figures for Ituri's share of cases and deaths, treatment bed capacity, or contact-tracing coverage.
   • No verified endpoint for geographic spread or final fatality rate as case counts continue to move.
9. 

   Update 6Aug 15 02:37 UTC4 days later

   Congo Ebola Surges Past 4,600 Cases at Record Pace

   More than 4,600 cases and 2,100 deaths by mid-August made this Bundibugyo-strain outbreak the fastest on record — and WHO warns it could eclipse West Africa.

   Still open after this report

   • The precise current chain of transmission across all six provinces and whether urban transmission has begun in Kinshasa.
   • Whether experimental vaccines, treatments, or scaled diagnostic and staffing support will arrive in time to change the trajectory.
10. 

    Update 5Aug 11 09:54 UTC3 days later

    Ebola Spread Unseen for Months as Congo Deaths Pass 2,000

    WHO sequencing pushes Congo's Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak back to February, months before its mid-May recognition, as deaths pass 2,000.

    Still open after this report

    • No verified total for confirmed cases in the early undetected months.
    • No verified trial design, enrollment, or results for cross-strain vaccine use.
11. 

    Update 4Aug 8 01:08 UTC11 hours later

    DRC Ebola Surpasses 4,000 Cases as Virus Spreads to Five Provinces

    Congo's Bundibugyo-strain outbreak hit 4,053 cases and 1,850 deaths, with WHO warning it is outrunning containment and a riverboat scare bringing the threat toward Kinshasa.

    Still open after this report

    • No verified full scope of community transmission outside Ituri's 86.9 percent share.
    • No confirmed outcome yet for the 300-plus riverboat contacts screened near Kinshasa.
12. 

    Update 3Aug 7 14:09 UTC2 days later

    Unpaid for Three Months as Ebola Deaths Pass 1,800

    Wiza Bondele has disinfected Ebola wards in Ituri without pay since May as deaths passed 1,800 and the WHO says the virus is outrunning containment.

    Still open after this report

    • No verified total confirmed case count is visible in the provided excerpts.
    • No verified official explanation, named ministerial commitment, or confirmed partial-payment timeline is visible in the provided excerpts.
13. 

    Update 2Aug 5 12:14 UTC14 days later

    Congo Opens Biggest Ebola Centre as Record Outbreak Nears 4,000 Cases

    More than 1,700 dead and nearly 4,000 cases have made this Congo's largest Ebola outbreak — and Bunia's 100-bed centre its largest response.

    Still open after this report

    • No public breakdown of confirmed versus suspected beds has been specified in the sources.
    • No source names the virus strain or describes vaccine and treatment availability.
    • Whether the centre filled on opening day remains unreported.
14. 

    Update 1Jul 22 22:57 UTC

    1,000 Dead: DRC's Ebola Surge Outruns Any on Record

    A Bundibugyo outbreak with no approved vaccine kills faster than West Africa's, while contact tracers lose the trail on most new infections.

    Still open after this report

    • Whether Uganda has now gone three full weeks without a new case or discharged its last patient.
    • Whether Dr. Jean Kaseya has formally written to US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Uganda travel restrictions.