WHO: Ebola cases in DR Congo up 10.4% in 21 days; Kenya has nine confirmed

Ebola transmission is rising again in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa reported 1,466 confirmed cases between 29 September and 19 October 2026, up 10.4% from 1,328 cases in the preceding 21 days, 8 to 28 September.

Confirmed deaths in the same 21 days were 692, against 644 in the earlier period, an increase of 7.5%. The figures come from the office's Weekly External Situation Report 23 on the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola, with data as of 19 October.

The report says daily case numbers fell in late September and rebounded in early October. The latest seven-day moving average, which smooths out day-to-day swings in reporting, shows "a modest upward trend, suggesting renewed intensification of transmission".

The rise is uneven. Cases in Ituri province went from 757 to 785 (+3.7%) and in North Kivu from 460 to 564 (+22.6%), while Haut-Uélé edged down from 82 to 81. Case numbers rose in 31 health zones and fell in 21. The largest rise in numbers was in Mandima, in Ituri, where cases went from 87 to 216; in Mambasa they went from 12 to 45. The outbreak has also spread to Wapinda health zone in North Ubangi province and now covers 66 health zones in eight provinces.

As of 19 October the DRC had 9,637 confirmed cases, including 4,646 confirmed deaths, a crude case fatality ratio of 48.2%. The report counts 301 health worker cases and 48 health worker deaths.

Most deaths still happen outside treatment facilities. In the week of 12 to 18 October, the report says, 221 confirmed deaths were recorded, down 5.2% from 233 the week before. Of the 221, 135 were community deaths and 86 were in treatment facilities. The community share fell from 67.4% to 61.1%, but WHO says more than six in 10 deaths continued to occur in the community, "highlighting persistent challenges in early case detection, timely referral and access to treatment".

Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said at an online press briefing on 22 October that about six in every 10 recent Ebola deaths in the DRC occurred outside treatment centres, Xinhua reported. "Ebola does not wait. It follows movement, exploits gaps, and tests the strength of our health systems," he said.

In Kenya, the report lists nine confirmed cases, including one death. The eight cases added since the previous report were linked to the imported first case and were already in quarantine when they developed symptoms: four family members and four hospital staff. Seven of the nine are male and two female, aged 24 to 65. Eight patients are in isolation at two designated facilities and, WHO says, are reported to be in stable condition.

Kenya has listed 135 contacts: 46 airport staff, 45 hospital staff, 26 passengers, 14 relatives and four flight crew. Eight passengers travelled outside Kenya and their destination countries were notified. Of the 119 contacts still under follow-up in Kenya, 118 are in quarantine and one passenger is not. WHO says that finding every secondary case among known, quarantined contacts "is encouraging, suggesting that transmission chains remain traceable", though it adds that continued surveillance is essential. Kenya screened 2,990 travellers at points of entry on 19 October, including 2,849 arriving from Uganda and 141 from the DRC.

Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health announced a confirmed case in Abuja on 20 October. The patient is a woman who reportedly travelled from Uganda to Nigeria on 3 October, developed symptoms on 7 October and was confirmed on 20 October; 44 close contacts have been identified. WHO says the long gap between symptoms and confirmation raises concern about undetected exposures and secondary transmission.

The report also cites insecurity, displacement and restricted humanitarian access in the DRC as threats to surveillance and response. Its figures on alerts show that, of suspected cases investigated from 12 to 18 October, 48.0% were isolated and transferred within 24 hours.

The Ervebo vaccine is being used in the DRC only in a research context: after its 19 August review, WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization concluded that the evidence was insufficient for programmatic use and that efficacy against the disease in humans remains unknown. A total of 8,497 people have been vaccinated across 15 health zones, and vaccination in Ituri was suspended temporarily pending replenishment of stocks. Candidates made specifically for the Bundibugyo virus, including Oxford's ChAdOx1 and Moderna's mRNA vaccine, are being evaluated.

The WHO Director-General determined on 17 May that the Ebola epidemic in the DRC and Uganda was a public health emergency of international concern. On 1 August WHO said the DRC outbreak had become the largest Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country, surpassing the 2018 to 2020 outbreak, which had 3,317 confirmed cases.