CDC Warns DRC Ebola Outbreak Could Become Largest Ever
With 452 cases and 82 deaths, the DRC outbreak—already the third-largest in history—could surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic if containment fails, WHO warns.
Jun 5th 2026 · DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing the third-largest Ebola outbreak in history, with 452 confirmed cases and 82 deaths as of June 5. The World Health Organization has launched a $518 million six-month plan to combat the rapid community transmission concentrated in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where cases have spread across 17 health zones in Ituri alone and spilled into Uganda. The U.S. announced an additional $38 million in funding, bringing total American commitment to over $200 million, while the CDC warned that without strong public health interventions, the outbreak could match or surpass the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic that claimed 11,325 lives. Health experts are raising alarms about unrecognized chains of transmission, noting that contact tracers are lagging behind the outbreak's spread. The remote northeastern region where cases are concentrated suffers from poor health infrastructure and widespread insecurity due to armed group activity, complicating containment efforts. CDC modeling scenarios show that insufficient patient isolation could make this the largest documented Ebola outbreak ever. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, marks Congo's 17th Ebola emergency. A nightmare scenario would involve the virus reaching Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, which previously experienced cases during the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.