Ebola outbreak in DRC now killing one person every 30 minutes
The fastest-growing Ebola epidemic on record is killing one person every 30 minutes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN’s humanitarian chief said on Friday.
Source: United Nations News · August 21, 2026 at 9:49 PM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceKUALA LUMPUR, 22 AUGUST 2026 —
The fastest-growing Ebola epidemic on record is killing one person every 30 minutes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN’s humanitarian chief said on Friday.
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Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters that the Bundibugyo strain had infected 4,660 people and killed 2,184—47% of cases—since the outbreak was declared on 15 May. Six of DRC’s 26 provinces have reported cases and Uganda has recorded 20 infections.
Fletcher said he released an additional $30.5 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing total UN funding for the response to $54.5 million. The World Food Programme will start serving hot meals at new treatment centres in Ituri and other provinces from Saturday, but civilians still face severe food shortages. Over 2.6 million people in eastern DRC are severely malnourished, with more than half in Ituri, the outbreak’s epicentre.
Humanitarian access is complicated by conflict between the Congolese army and Rwanda-backed M23 militia, which has displaced hundreds of thousands. Ituri alone accounts for over 3,400 of the total cases. Fletcher warned that current efforts are insufficient: treatment capacity must triple, contact tracing must improve, and burial teams must double. The UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee agreed on Friday to scale up the response.
Food insecurity aid is only 25% funded, Fletcher said, calling for urgent additional contributions. “Ebola is winning in the DRC,” he said. “We cannot let the virus outrun our response.”