A Congolese hygiene specialist disinfects Muthiri Adventist Hospital as aid agencies work to contain a new Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Butembo, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo,10 September 2026;
Credit: Reuters/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere
DAKAR (Reuters) - The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 7,000, with the virus spreading to a new province, government data showed on Friday 11 September 2026.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, became the largest and deadliest in Congo's history after surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic.
It is now second only to the 2014-2016 West African outbreak, which infected over 28,600 people and killed more than 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Government figures showed late on Friday that the death toll had risen to 3,398, while confirmed cases reached 7,022 across seven provinces.
Officials said earlier an Ebola case had been detected in South Ubangi province, in the northwest of the country, far from the epicentre of the outbreak.
They said a 23-year-old man who had died on Tuesday 8 September 2026 tested positive for the Bundibugyo species.
He left South Kivu province in eastern Congo on 10 July 2026 and spent time abroad before re-entering Congo and arriving in South Ubangi, which borders Congo Republic and Central African Republic.
"Contact tracing for the first confirmed case in South Ubangi province is under way," Congo's public health institute said in its latest situation report.
Shortages of trained staff, operational partners and funding are causing a bottleneck in efforts to expand the Ebola response as the outbreak spreads to more areas, according to the World Health Organization.
