The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now exceeded 2,000, according to the latest official figures. Health authorities warn this could become the deadliest epidemic in the country’s history. Government data released overnight puts the total number of confirmed cases at 4,381.

While the first 1,000 deaths took nearly nine weeks to accumulate, the second 1,000 were recorded in just three weeks. This rapid acceleration underscores how the health crisis is outpacing containment and response efforts.

Delivering critical aid to remote communities has proved nearly impossible due to rebel violence, crumbling road networks and ongoing strikes over unpaid wages among healthcare workers.

Dr. Jean-Marie Akandabo, overseeing patient care at a clinic in Ituri, northeastern Congo, described the situation as ‘alarming’ and called for intensified efforts in the worst-hit areas.

This marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC, already recognized as the most extensive in the country’s history. Experts now warn it ‘could turn into the largest ever flare-up’, according to Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the global vaccine alliance.

The current fatality rate stands at 45.9%, significantly higher than the 39.6% recorded during the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak—the deadliest Ebola epidemic to date, which resulted in more than 11,000 deaths from 28,000 cases.

State of emergency declared

The outbreak was officially declared on May 15, though viral sequencing indicates it began several months earlier, in February. A national health emergency has since been declared in the DRC.

Unlike most previous outbreaks, this one is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved vaccines or treatments exist. Clinical trials have begun in Ituri Province, the epicenter of the epidemic in eastern Congo.

Humanitarian workers report the outbreak continues to outpace the response across the five affected provinces in the east. Many healthcare staff have gone on strike to protest unpaid wages since the outbreak was declared. The World Health Organization has noted that most new cases are still occurring outside monitored contacts, meaning transmission remains largely uncontrolled.

‘Without an effective vaccine, containing the outbreak relies on identifying cases and isolating patients in secure facilities until recovery—or, tragically, death,’ said Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK. ‘In a remote region plagued by conflict and disrupted communications, routine surveillance is nearly impossible, making early case detection and containment extremely difficult.’

On Friday, WHO vaccine experts recommended launching a large-scale human trial of the only currently licensed Ebola vaccine to test whether it offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain driving the current outbreak in the DRC, for which no specific vaccine exists.

Ervebo has proven safe and effective against the most common Ebola strain, known as Zaire ebolavirus. Preliminary data, including animal studies, suggest it may also provide some protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain now spreading in the DRC.

Two potential vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo strain are in early human clinical trials, with a third in development for initial testing.

WHO’s Africa regional director, Dr. Mohamed Yahya Jani, admitted officials are ‘racing to catch up with the virus, which has a head start.’

Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes severe hemorrhagic fever. The virus was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.