In DR Congo, the number of Ebola deaths has exceeded five thousand people
A total of 10,351 people have been infected, meaning almost every second patient has died.
A large-scale Ebola outbreak continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has claimed the lives of 5,026 people since May 2026, Bild reports.
According to the country's Ministry of Health, a total of 10,351 people have been infected, meaning almost every second patient has died. This is already the second deadliest Ebola epidemic in history. The outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.
Each week, 400-500 new cases of the disease are detected in the country, with less than a quarter of them linked to infection chains already known to authorities. This significantly complicates the detection and isolation of infected individuals. According to Boghuma Titanji, an infectious disease specialist from Emory University, the spread of the virus has stabilized at a very high level.
The fight against the epidemic is hampered by armed conflicts, distrust of the local population towards medical workers, and a reduction in international aid. Cases of infection have also been registered outside of Congo, including in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.
European epidemiological services assess the risk of the disease spreading in the EU as very low. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with biological fluids of infected people, and they become contagious after symptoms appear.
The disease usually begins with a high fever, headache, and muscle pain, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding. In severe cases, multi-organ failure develops. According to experts, the systems for detecting infected individuals and tracing contacts currently in place in Europe significantly reduce the likelihood of a large-scale outbreak.
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