The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 10,000, with deaths nearing 5,000, raising fresh concerns over the spread of the deadly virus to other African countries.
According to the latest situation report released by Congo’s public health institute on Tuesday, October 27, the country had recorded 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths from the outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
The outbreak, first announced in mid-May, has become the largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic in the DRC, surpassing the 2018–2020 outbreak.
It is now the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded globally, behind the 2014–2016 West African epidemic, which infected more than 28,600 people and claimed over 11,000 lives, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The outbreak has heightened concerns across Africa, with several countries reporting cases or strengthening measures to prevent further transmission.
Kenya reported its first case earlier this month and subsequently confirmed nine cases in total, following the death of a man who had travelled from the DRC through Uganda to Nairobi.
Last week, Nigeria also became the fourth African country to report an Ebola case, further raising fears that the outbreak could spread beyond the countries already affected.
Health authorities are investigating how the Nigerian patient, identified as the wife of a Swiss diplomat who had not travelled to the DRC, contracted the virus.
The Swiss government said the woman was believed to have contracted the disease in Uganda. She and her husband were evacuated to hospitals in Switzerland on Monday for medical care.
Uganda, which reported 20 Ebola cases in May and June, mostly linked to infections imported from the DRC, was declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization in August.
Ugandan officials have maintained that the country currently has no active Ebola cases.
However, the government has introduced additional precautionary measures amid concerns over cross-border transmission.
Uganda’s Health Minister said on Sunday that citizens returning from the DRC would be subjected to a mandatory 21-day quarantine if they had a history of travel to the country.
The measures are aimed at strengthening surveillance and preventing the virus from spreading further as health authorities across the region continue monitoring the outbreak.
The rising number of cases and deaths in the DRC, alongside reports from other African countries, has intensified calls for vigilance, effective screening and coordinated regional responses to contain the epidemic.
