The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday raised the number of deaths to 1,887 and confirmed Ebola cases to 4,120 due to the outbreak declared in the east of the country on May 15.

[DRC Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 4,000 Confirmed Cases Amid Lethal Strain: DR Congo: Ebola Death Figure Rises to 1,887, Confirmed Cases to 4,120](https://www.telesurenglish.net/dr-congo-ebola-death-figure-rises-to-1887-confirmed-cases-to-4120/)

According to the latest bulletin published by the Congolese Ministry of Communication, with data collected up to August 6, the fatality rate is currently 45.8%.

In addition, 721 patients are in “isolation or hospitalized” and 810 people have recovered from the disease, while the contact tracing rate is 83.7%.

So far, five Congolese provinces have been affected by the Ebola outbreak: Ituri (epicenter of the outbreak), North Kivu, South Kivu, and Haut-Uélé (east), as well as Tshopo (north-central).

“The epidemic remains concentrated in 53 health zones in 5 provinces, with Ituri as the main epicenter (86.5% of accumulated cases),” the Ministry noted.

#EbolaRDC | Situation au 7 août 2026 : L’épidémie touche 53 zones de santé dans 5 provinces. Transmission active en Ituri, Nord-Kivu et Haut-Uélé, avec l’Ituri comme épicentre. 4 209 cas confirmés, 828 guérisons, 1 916 décès. 595 patients isolés ou hospitalisés. Suivi des… https://t.co/JWSDLLcJ0F pic.twitter.com/RPAT8Fj0x1

— KATENDE Fidèle (@Congo__6) August 9, 2026

The current epidemic became last Friday the second outbreak with the most recorded contagions in history and the largest in terms of infections in the DRC, surpassing the one that also occurred in the Congolese east between 2018 and 2020, which caused 2,299 deaths and 3,481 cases.

This is the seventeenth epidemic to affect the DRC and it is the one with the fastest growth in contagions compared to any other outbreak since its declaration, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, it is still far from being the worst Ebola epidemic in history, which took place in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 and caused some 11,000 deaths and 28,000 contagions.

The current epidemic was declared on May 15 in Ituri, a province bordering South Sudan and Uganda, a country that declared itself “Ebola-free” on July 28, after 20 confirmed contagions, including 15 cases considered imported from the DRC, among which there were two deaths.

This epidemic corresponds to the Bundibugyo strain, whose fatality rate ranges between 30% and 50% and for which there is no authorized vaccine or specific treatment, according to the WHO.

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