Congo Ebola deaths reach 5,372 after review adds earlier fatalities

The Straits Times reported on November 2, 2026, that Congo’s Ebola epidemic had caused 5,372 deaths among 10,414 confirmed infections after an examination of Ituri province records added hundreds of fatalities from earlier periods.²

Earlier deaths added

The review covered 97% of affected health zones in Ituri and added 314 earlier Ebola deaths to the province’s cumulative count, according to The Straits Times. The newspaper reported a case-fatality ratio of 51.6%, compared with 48.6% two days earlier, while confirmed infections increased by 140.²

The BBC had reported more than 5,000 deaths and over 10,300 confirmed cases on October 31, with a reported fatality ratio of 48.6%. The subsequent account identifies the additional deaths from the records review as earlier fatalities, rather than deaths that all occurred between the two reports.¹²

The outbreak has reached eight of Congo’s 26 provinces, the BBC reported. The Straits Times put its reach at 67 health zones across those eight provinces. It is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak and the second-largest recorded globally, according to both outlets.¹²

Response in Ituri

The outbreak began in May and became Congo’s deadliest in August, according to the BBC. The country’s previous deadliest outbreak killed 2,299 people between 2018 and 2020. The United Nations has warned that the current epidemic is killing people more quickly.¹

Ituri remains the centre of the epidemic, Congo’s health ministry said in the BBC report. Conflict in the province complicates containment. The BBC said an Ebola-alert response resulted in the death of a nurse and severe injuries to a second medical worker, while a politician who promoted preventive measures was fatally beaten.¹

Red Cross volunteers were injured and an ambulance was burned in 11 violent incidents in August, according to the BBC. Testing, treatment and vaccine trials are under way. The World Health Organization’s Africa office called for more control measures, improved access to affected areas and greater engagement with communities.¹

Cases abroad and travel measures

Transmission beyond Congo remains limited, The Straits Times reported. Its November 2 report said Nigeria was left with one confirmed infection after two people in Adamawa state suspected of having Ebola received negative results in both rounds of tests. The BBC had previously reported that two suspected Nigerian cases were isolated for testing.¹²

The BBC reported nine confirmed cases and two deaths in Kenya. Uganda had recorded 20 cases and two deaths shortly after the outbreak began, but none had been reported since August, it said. Uganda maintained travel restrictions for arrivals from neighbouring Congo.¹

The United States will further restrict travel in response to the outbreak, The Straits Times reported. People boarding international flights to the country must attest that they have not been in Congo in the preceding 21 days. Those who have generally will not be permitted to board US-bound commercial flights.²