More than 7,000 Ebola cases have now been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), making the latest outbreak the country’s worst on record, according to figures released by Congolese authorities.
Despite the rising number of infections, the government says the spread of the deadly virus may have already reached its peak.
The latest outbreak was officially detected in mid-May and has so far claimed nearly 3,400 lives, marking the DRC’s 17th Ebola epidemic.
The outbreak began in the northeastern Ituri province before spreading to remote areas across eastern and northern DRC. Many of these regions have been affected by decades of armed conflict, limited government presence and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
Ebola was confirmed in South-Ubangi province earlier this week. The province borders both the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville, raising concerns about the potential for further transmission.
According to the latest figures from Congolese authorities, 7,022 cases have been recorded since the outbreak began. Of those, 3,398 people have died, while 1,671 have recovered.
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said there were signs that the outbreak could be slowing.
“The peak was reached at the beginning of the third week of August,” Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya wrote on X on Saturday.
“All the indicators show a decrease in the number of cases,” he added, specifying that “10 of the 61 health zones” affected by the epidemic have not recorded any new cases “for at least 21 days.”
Ebola Concerns Grow as Schools Reopen
Ituri remains the province with the highest number of reported cases. Health concerns have increased following the reopening of schools after the summer break, with Ebola detected in schools and raising concerns among parents and health workers.
“We are very worried because we don’t know which child comes from which family or what the health status of the members of that family is,” Angele Magani, the mother of a student in Bunia, Ituri’s provincial capital, told AFP.
“We are so scared, even though the school authorities reassure us about the health measures that have been put in place,” she added.
School official Roger Mungimbo said authorities had introduced additional measures to reduce the risk of transmission among pupils.
“there is a mandatory hand-washing system with soap, and we have also done everything possible to have a maximum of 30 pupils per classroom.”
“We regularly make the children aware that they must not touch each other” and wash their hands regularly, he added.
How Ebola Spreads
Ebola is a highly infectious disease transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids. It can cause severe internal and external bleeding, organ failure and death.
The disease has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
The current DRC outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment specifically available for this strain, although several potential vaccines and treatments are undergoing testing.
While authorities say the number of new cases appears to be declining in some areas, the spread of Ebola into a seventh province and its detection in schools remain significant challenges for health officials.
The government and health workers are therefore continuing surveillance, infection-control measures and public health efforts as they monitor whether the outbreak has genuinely passed its peak.
