The death toll from the ongoing Ebola epidemic in Africa has surpassed 5,300 fatalities, driven primarily by the largest outbreak ever recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to data released by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in mid-May, marking the beginning of an epidemic that has since become the largest in the nation’s history. Figures published by the Africa CDC on Monday put the total death toll at 5,376 people. The vast majority of these fatalities—5,372—occurred within the DRC, while neighboring Uganda and Kenya have each reported two deaths.
The current public health crisis is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, a rare variant that has infected approximately 10,444 people across the DRC, Uganda, and Kenya. Health officials note that this specific strain carries a fatality rate exceeding 50 percent.
The epidemic has repeatedly crossed international borders in recent months, prompting heightened regional surveillance and containment measures. Uganda previously recorded 20 cases, nearly all involving individuals who had traveled from the DRC, before public health authorities declared the country Ebola-free in August. However, the situation remains fluid; Uganda recently ordered a 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from the DRC to prevent further importation.
In October, Kenya recorded its first-ever cases of the virus, resulting in nine infections and two deaths. Meanwhile, in West Africa, Nigerian health authorities confirmed that two rounds of testing on suspected cases in the country’s northeast were negative. Abuja had reported an imported case in October—its first in more than a decade—though no deaths have been linked to that incident. Further afield, a single case involving a health worker who returned from the DRC was reported in France during July.
Efforts to combat the outbreak face significant clinical hurdles. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines specifically targeting the rare Bundibugyo strain. In response, medical researchers have launched clinical trials in recent weeks utilizing the Ervebo vaccine, which has previously demonstrated effectiveness against the more common Zaire strain of the virus.
Frontline responders continue to face severe dangers while managing the crisis. In addition to treating patients at specialized facilities, medical personnel have contended with security threats, including an attack that killed a nurse and injured another health worker who were responding to an Ebola case in the DRC.
