WHO says Congo Ebola outbreak on track to eclipse deadliest one

scienceAug 12, 202619575

The World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to eclipse the 2014, 2016 West African outbreak. The current outbreak has killed more than 2,000 people among over 4,300 reported cases and was declared on May 15 after genetic sequencing showed transmission began in February. It is driven by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments, and is spreading faster than responders can track it in a remote, conflict-affected region near South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. WHO said most new cases and deaths are occurring in communities out of reach of health workers, where poor infrastructure, underfunded clinics, worker strikes over pay and misinformation keep people from care. Tedros warned “the outbreak had a big head start, still way ahead of us, and we’re playing catch-up.” WHO’s emergency operations director Abdirahman Mahamud said the agency expects a peak in about six months under a moderate scenario, with a one-case scenario projecting the outbreak could last nine to 12 months.

Al Jazeera English

@aljazeera.com

DR Congo's Ebola outbreak is spreading rapidly, with the death toll surpassing 2,000. Confirmed infections have reached over 4,300.

191Yesterday

Quoting this

@GottaLaff10

"Trump Created the Perfect Storm to Allow for Rapid Spread of Ebola" democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-r...

FromTweets2Skeets2

Man this is so 💔

Grant Jacobs BioinfoTools/NotJustDNA 🔬🧬🖥️✍️📚🇳🇿2

🦠 It just keeps going 😢 I’m reminded of someone replying to me somewhere on social media to the effect that "it’ll just burn out".* Yeah, right 😔 These outbreaks take a lot of work to stop. (*I pointed them to earlier large outbreaks & what it took to stop them. I don’t think I got a reply back.)

Amee Vanderpool

@girlsreallyrule.bsky.social

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on track to eclipse the deadliest one in history that killed over 11,000 people out of more than 28,000 cases, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Good thing the US is so prepared…wait. apnews.com/article/cong...

1468h ago

Quoting this

Sarah Burris9

Welp, now Trump can brag more people died when his admin handled Ebola than Obama. He's NUMBER ONE

Riscy3

When people say “plumbers have saved more lives than doctors” this is what they mean Programs like USAID aren’t just charitable handouts, digging wells and building septic systems for the poorest-of-the-poor are cheap ways to snuff out diseases like Ebola

The Associated Press

@apnews.com

Congo says at least 2,000 people have died in its Ebola outbreak, and data shows a total of 4,381 confirmed cases.

87Yesterday

experimental22.bsky.social3

And the US government sits on the sidelines because it does not view black African people dying by the thousands as a problem.

jenna newman phd

@jennanewman.bsky.social

“Government data published overnight into Tue showed the outbreak has 4,381 confirmed cases, including 2,011 deaths. Starting from the first confirmed case, the death toll was reached almost 3x faster than in the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the worst on record.”🛟🧪

# of deaths x DAYS FROM FIRST DETECTED CASE for current Congo outbreak vs. West Africa 2014-16

Note: For current Congo outbreak, days from first suspected case are used. Updated August 11.
Graphic: Will Jarrett and Chinedu Asadu

25Yesterday

Robb Edwards 🌱

@robedwards1.bsky.social

Ebola deaths top 2,000 as scientists race to develop vaccine news.un.org/en/story/202...

1523h ago

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦

@helenbranswell.bsky.social

With @drtedros.who.int projecting DRC's #Ebola outbreak is on track to eclipse the 2014-16 West African outbreak, #WHO is finalizing a Phase 3 vaccine trial protocol it hopes DRC regulatory officials will green light. Likely to start with Merck's Ervebo vaccine. www.statnews.com/2026/08/12/e...

253h ago

Michael Plank

@michaelplanknz.bsky.social

It took 9 weeks for this outbreak to reach 1000 deaths, and just 3 weeks for that to double to 2000. Devastating. Congo says 2,000 people have died in history’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak apnews.com/article/cong...

1216h ago

Le Monde in English

@english.lemonde.fr

Ebola death toll in DR Congo outbreak rises to more than 2,000

10Yesterday

Silvija (still) stands with Ukraine

@svecrumba.bsky.social

According to WHO, the Ebola outbreak in the Congo is about to become the deadliest one in history. #Blues apnews.com/article/cong...

88h ago

Sanho Tree

@sanho.bsky.social

“At least 2,000 people have died among the confirmed cases in Congo’s Ebola outbreak that is the fastest growing on record, according to the latest govt data, as authorities struggle to get help quickly to remote localities due to rebel conflict, bad roads & work stoppages over payment issues.“

9Yesterday

gostin.bsky.social

@gostin.bsky.social

In @jamahealthforum.com I explain why US disinvestment in global public health has fueled the Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the DRC @drtedros.who.int @who.int has said that the outbreak is outpacing the capacity to control it. Cases & deaths rise daily, with no end in sight shorturl.at/IQCkL

5Yesterday

Angele

@angeledehart.bsky.social

We can only hope that the masses will listen to the doctors & scientists. If Ebola mutates… apnews.com/article/cong...

48h ago

BlackskyNews 🗞️

@blackskynews.blacksky.app

Data published overnight into Tuesday showed the Ebola outbreak, which was declared on May 15, has since recorded a total of 4,381 confirmed cases, including 2,011 deaths. A total of 704 patients are in admission and isolation. apnews.com/article/cong...

8Yesterday

Climate, Ecology, War & More: Dr. Glen Barry BigEarthData.ai

@bigearthdata.ai

Uganda declares itself free of Ebola after last patient was discharged in mid-June ->ABC News | More on "Uganda declares itself Ebola free" at BigEarthData.ai | #Ebola

3Yesterday

Timothy McBride

@mcbridetd.bsky.social

WHO says Congo’s Ebola outbreak is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history abcnews.com/Health/wireS...

56h ago

1 source

apnews.comWHO says Congo’s Ebola outbreak is on track to eclipse the deadliest one in history

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WHO says Congo Ebola outbreak on track to eclipse deadliest one

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