DR Congo Ebola outbreak may be up to four times larger than reported, WHO warns

The World Health Organization said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could be two‑to‑four times larger than official counts. Official figures list about 1,926 infections and 702 deaths, but WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu warned, “We believe … the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have found.”

The epidemic, caused by the Bundibugyo strain for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists, is the fastest‑growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent. Around 80% of new cases are “outside our contact lists,” coming from unknown transmission chains, and many deaths occur in communities without reaching a health facility.

The virus has spread from Ituri to four other provinces and into neighboring Uganda, where 20 cases have been confirmed. Health‑worker strikes over unpaid salaries, attacks on treatment centres and funding gaps are hampering response efforts, even as treatment capacity exceeds 700 beds and laboratory capacity has risen to 14 sites. International partners have mobilised $1.5 billion and clinical trials of two experimental therapeutics are under way.