Health workers simulate evacuation protocols using a manikin for deceased victims of Ebola during a training by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, on July 10, 2026. [AFP]
The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is edging towards another grim milestone, with confirmed infections now fewer than 300 cases away from reaching 4,000.
Despite significant improvements in contact tracing, health authorities say transmission continues to outpace response efforts, highlighting the immense challenge of containing what is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak in history.
Now in its 78th day, the outbreak has recorded 3,748 confirmed cases, 1,657 deaths, and a case fatality rate of 44 per cent, meaning more than four in every 10 people infected have died.
"The outbreak is moving fast, and we are still playing catch-up," World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned.
In its latest epidemiological update, the WHO noted that "most of the increase reflects the expansion of the outbreak," indicating that rising case numbers are not merely the result of enhanced surveillance but ongoing transmission.