Ebola Crisis Deepens As UN And WHO Seek Access To Conflict Zones

Kinshasa, August 28, 2026 - DRC's Ebola outbreak expanded to 5,945 confirmed cases across six provinces and 60 health zones, underscoring the growing strain on the national health system and humanitarian operations in the conflict-hit east.

By late August, the outbreak had caused 2,862 deaths, a case fatality rate of 48.1 percent. Authorities recorded 1,327 recoveries, 896 patients in isolation and contact tracing coverage of 84.4 percent. Ituri remained the epicenter, though no new health zone was added in the previous 24 hours.

The World Health Organization's Africa regional leadership called on August 25 for a six-month humanitarian truce to allow medical teams to reach populations in northeastern conflict areas. Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi said access was decisive to stopping transmission. As of August 20, 158 health workers had been infected and 45 had died.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on August 27 that Ebola was outpacing response capacity, with about 500 new infections each week and women and children hardest hit. He said the $2.13 billion humanitarian plan was only 48 percent funded and that available resources could last weeks rather than months, while insecurity and displacement continued to hamper response efforts in Ituri and the wider east.

The outbreak has become a macro-relevant risk for DRC, threatening labor availability, cross-border movement, public finances and humanitarian access in areas already affected by conflict and displacement.