KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have surpassed 10,000, with the death toll approaching 4,900, as health authorities across Africa intensify efforts to prevent further spread of the Bundibugyo strain.

Data released by the country’s public health institute on Tuesday, October 27, put the cumulative number of confirmed cases at 10,060 and deaths at 4,887.

The outbreak, first announced in mid-May, has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic recorded in the DRC, surpassing the country’s 2018–2020 outbreak. It is also the second-largest and second-deadliest recorded globally, behind the 2014–2016 West African epidemic, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000.

Ebola Cases Reported Beyond Congo

The spread of infections beyond the DRC has raised concerns about the outbreak’s regional reach. Kenya reported cases earlier this month after a man who had travelled from the DRC through Uganda died in Nairobi. Nigeria subsequently confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade.

Nigeria’s case involves a Ugandan-born woman married to a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja. She and her husband were medically evacuated to Switzerland on Monday, according to Nigerian health authorities.

Investigators are still working to establish how she contracted the virus. Swiss authorities have said she did not travel to the DRC, while the Swiss government has indicated that Uganda may have been where she became infected.

Scientists are examining a possible connection between the Nigerian patient and Kenya’s first case. Although genomic sequencing has shown similarities between the viruses, investigators have not established direct transmission between the two patients.

Uganda Introduces Quarantine Measures

Uganda, which recorded 20 cases during an earlier phase of the outbreak, was declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization in August. Ugandan officials maintain that the country currently has no active cases.

Nevertheless, the government has introduced additional precautions. Uganda’s health ministry said citizens returning from the DRC who have a history of travel there would be required to undergo 21 days of quarantine at their own expense.

Authorities have also intensified health screening at Entebbe International Airport, land borders and designated road checkpoints.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who has symptoms and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and severe illness.

There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain. Health authorities are relying on surveillance, isolation, contact tracing, infection-prevention measures and cross-border cooperation to contain transmission.

As the number of cases continues to rise, identifying where infections are occurring and how the virus is spreading remains critical to limiting further outbreaks across the continent.

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