DR Congo Ebola cases pass 9,000 as efforts to curb transmission falter

The Bundibugyo strain fuels deadliest Ebola outbreak in DRC’s history as health workers face mistrust from communities.

Al Jazeera2026-10-13 19:39查看原文 ↗

The Bundibugyo strain fuels deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history as health workers face mistrust from communities.

Ebola response teams organise a demonstration to raise awareness about Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [File: Sebastien Kitsa Musayi/AP Photo]

Confirmed Ebola cases have surpassed 9,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) outbreak, according to Health Ministry data, as efforts to stifle transmission falter.

The ministry reported 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths on Tuesday – a death toll of nearly half the known cases.

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The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has become the largest and deadliest in the DRC’s history. Globally, the toll is only second to the 2014 to 2016 West African epidemic, which saw 28,600 confirmed cases and more than 11,000 deaths across Guinea, ⁠⁠Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccines or treatments and has raised concerns over cross-border transmission.

Last week, Kenya reported its first imported case in which a Kenyan national who lived in the DRC travelled through Uganda before reaching Nairobi, where he died.

Uganda also reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year, but the country was declared Ebola-free in August.

Health workers and officials stand outside an Ebola isolation facility in Kenya [File: Andrew Kasuku/AP Photo]

The current outbreak in the DRC was announced in mid-May, but some experts suspect it began as early as February. The virus, which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, has spread to seven provinces in the north and east.

Efforts to contain the virus face obstacles as health workers and other responders in the DRC face mistrust in local communities, with many believing the disease is a ruse for officials to siphon off money . The outbreak is also occurring amid an ongoing conflict between the M23 rebel group and government forces, making transport of healthcare resources to remote regions difficult.

A local politician in eastern DRC was beaten to death in September after he defended the government’s Ebola response on the radio, according to his political party.

A clinical trial to evaluate vaccine efficacy against the Bundibugyo strain is being prepared for the DRC in the coming weeks, WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu said on Tuesday.

邦迪布焦毒株引发了刚果民主共和国历史上最致命的埃博拉疫情，卫生工作者面临社区的不信任。

埃博拉应对小组在刚果民主共和国组织示威活动，以提高人们对埃博拉疫情的认识。[图片：Sebastien Kitsa Musayi/AP Photo]

根据卫生部的数据，刚果民主共和国（刚果（金））埃博拉疫情确诊病例已超过 9000 例，而遏制病毒传播的努力却步履维艰。

卫生部周二报告了9066例确诊病例和4381例死亡病例——死亡人数几乎占已知病例的一半。

肯尼亚确诊首例埃博拉病例，一名男子从刚果民主共和国返回后在内罗毕死亡（共4条，第1条）：肯尼亚确认首例埃博拉病例，该男子在内罗毕死亡。

肯尼亚首例埃博拉死亡病例后，筛查工作令人担忧，目前处于高度戒备状态（共4个名单中的第2个）。

列表 3/4：为何肯尼亚一例埃博拉死亡病例引发了人们对埃博拉疫情在非洲更广泛传播的担忧？

肯尼亚4名疑似埃博拉感染患者中，第4名检测结果呈阴性

此次疫情由邦迪布焦埃博拉病毒株引起，已成为刚果民主共和国历史上规模最大、死亡人数最多的疫情。据世界卫生组织（世卫组织）统计，全球范围内，此次疫情造成的死亡人数仅次于2014年至2016年西非埃博拉疫情，当时几内亚、利比里亚和塞拉利昂共报告了28600例确诊病例和超过11000例死亡病例。

Bundibugyo 毒株目前尚无获批的疫苗或治疗方法，并引发了人们对跨境传播的担忧。

上周，肯尼亚报告了首例输入性病例，一名居住在刚果民主共和国的肯尼亚公民途经乌干达抵达内罗毕，并在那里死亡。

今年早些时候，乌干达也报告了 20 例病例和 2 例死亡，但该国在 8 月份宣布已无埃博拉病例。