By Precious Mark
Recent data by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has revealed that the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has grown so fast that, in just 11 weeks, it has already matched the total number of cases recorded during the entire 2018–2019 outbreak.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya shared the latest numbers, revealing that the total count has reached 3,380 confirmed cases and 1,491 deaths.
Dr. Kaseya noted that while the overall death rate sits at 7.1%, certain hot spots like Butembo and Beni in North Kivu are seeing death rates climb past 80%, specifically 81.3% in Butembo and 80.4% in Beni.
The Africa CDC reported that the virus has now spread across 48 health zones in five provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut Uele, and Tshopo.
According to the agency, in just one week from July 21 to July 27, health workers logged 887 total cases consisting of 615 new cases and 272 backlogs. They also recorded 488 total deaths consisting of 314 new deaths and 174 backlogs, alongside 115 new recoveries and 9 new health worker infections, bringing cumulative health worker infections to 134.
Dr. Kaseya pointed out that stopping the spread is becoming very difficult due to deep-rooted community habits.
The Africa CDC chief highlighted that 63.4% of deaths over the last two weeks happened outside of official treatment centers because families are still touching and handling bodies during traditional burials.
Furthermore, the agency warned that contact tracing is failing because teams are only reaching about 13% of the expected people they need to monitor. They are tracking 17,558 active contacts out of an estimated 134,400 expected across urban areas, which leaves more than 80% of new cases unable to be linked back to a known source.
According to public health reports, hospitals and treatment centers are also under heavy pressure, with overall bed occupancy at 80% and hitting 134% capacity in North Kivu.
Adding to the crisis, Africa CDC stated that 1,150,000 displaced people living in makeshift camps have little to no medical help while also fighting off other diseases like cholera and measles, and armed conflict in the region is making it dangerous for medical teams to move around.
Despite these huge challenges, the agency reported that medical laboratories in the area have grown from just 2 at the start of the outbreak to 19 today. They are equipped with 37 RadiOne POC PCR units, 5 RT-PCR platforms, and 2 mobile labs capable of processing over 3,000 samples every single day.
Dr. Kaseya noted that clinical trials for new treatments are moving forward quickly. Remdesivir is fully funded, active at 2 sites, and had 41 people enrolled as of July 28. It is manufactured by Gilead Sciences USA and EvaPharma Egypt and is priced at $10 to $25 per vial or $60 to $150 per treatment course.
Another treatment, MBP134, is fully funded and manufactured by MAPP Biopharmaceutical USA, with production costs between $10,000 and $20,000 per course requiring tech transfer.
Meanwhile, Obeldesivir for post-exposure prophylaxis is facing a $12 million funding gap, though trials are starting at one site and expanding to two more plus mobile streams.
Vaccine testing is also pushing ahead with support from global health partners, according to the continental body. ChAdOx1 by SII is funded up to $8.6 million by CEPI, with Phase 1 beginning on July 28.Moderna’s mRNA vaccine is funded up to $50 million by CEPI and is pending regulatory sign-off.Ervebo-Zaire by MSD is approved for Zaire Ebola and priced at $98 per dose, with partners looking at lowering costs.
Finally, rVSV by PHV/IAVI is funded up to $5.1 million by CEPI and is currently at the master seed stock and rapid preclinical testing stage.
On a brighter regional note, Africa CDC confirmed that neighboring Uganda offered a success story this week after watching its final patient pass the safety window with zero new cases. Uganda completed its 21-day follow-up for all 831 contacts, entered its 42-day countdown on July 16, and officially declared the end of its 2026 outbreak on July 28.
On the financial front, international donors have pledged over $1,074,000,000 to help fight the crisis out of a total $1.4 billion humanitarian and response need, according to the Africa CDC.
These efforts are led by the United States at $375 million for Ebola and $350 million for humanitarian aid, the European Union at $424 million for humanitarian aid and €69 million for Ebola, and the Pandemic Fund at $220.6 million.
Even with this huge support, Africa CDC and Dr. Kaseya are calling on African nations to step up and close the remaining funding gaps. The continent has contributed $110 million out of a targeted $200 million, and closing this gap is necessary to ensure African nations retain true health sovereignty.