Congo's Ebola outbreak reaches 5,000 cases as it outpaces response efforts

People dressed in protective gear prepare to lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of 3-year-old Mave Mercienne, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. Dieudonne Dirole/AP hide caption

BUNIA, Congo — The Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 5,000 cases, government data showed Wednesday, as responders warn it is spreading at an unprecedented speed outpacing efforts to slow it in one of the country's remotest regions.

Data from Congo's Ministry of Health showed the outbreak had so far recorded 5,021 cases, including 2,378 deaths as of Sunday, as it rages in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable fueled by insecurity, displacement and intense population movements.

The outbreak has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other outbreak in history. The World Health Organization estimates it will likely surpass the outbreak of 2014 to 2016 across West Africa, which was the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths.

Starting from the first detected case, the current outbreak has spread about three times faster than the deadliest on record.

The outbreak "has spread rapidly and the risk of further national and international spread remains high," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday at a meeting convened by the agency.

"We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control," he said.

Thérèse Anyiya, a nurse working in Ituri's capital Bunia, said she is exhausted by the work demands and poor working conditions. Some health workers have gone on strike after not being paid.