The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the death rate of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is between 30% and 50%. This estimate was provided by Anaïs Legand from the WHO’s high threat pathogens team, who stated that this means up to five out of ten people diagnosed with the disease may die. The outbreak was declared on May 15, and since then, the WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths among over 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's director-general, arrived in Kinshasa to support containment efforts and called for a ceasefire among armed groups in the region to facilitate relief efforts. He emphasized that the outbreak can be controlled and stated that travel bans are not effective in managing the situation. The WHO noted that the true scale of the outbreak may be larger than reported due to undetected circulation of the virus.
The DRC has experienced 17 recorded Ebola epidemics since the disease was first identified in 1976, with an average death rate of 50% across all outbreaks. The current outbreak is complicated by ongoing conflict in a mineral-rich region, which has led to displacement of over 245,000 people since January 2025, according to the UN refugee agency.
The WHO has recommended clinical trials for vaccines and treatments, and the head of the African Union’s health agency indicated that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Uganda has reported one Ebola death and eight additional cases and has closed its border with the DRC. The WHO cautioned that such border closures could hinder monitoring and containment efforts.
In Kenya, plans for a quarantine and treatment facility for US citizens exposed to Ebola have been temporarily suspended by the high court due to constitutional concerns raised by a local rights group. The US has committed $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts and has pledged $112 million to the regional response to the outbreak.
