Congo Ebola outbreak may surpass deadliest epidemic, WHO warns

WHO has warned that Congo's Ebola outbreak could overtake the deadliest epidemic on record. Conflict, mistrust and the lack of approved tools for the Bundibugyo strain are slowing containment.Stock photo used for illustrationThe ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on course to surpass the deadliest outbreak on record, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. "At its current pace, it's on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016," he told reporters.That West African outbreak killed more than 11,000 people out of over 28,000 cases and pushed efforts to develop a vaccine. The current outbreak in eastern Congo, described as the fastest-growing in history, has killed more than 2,000 people out of over 4,300 cases.The outbreak was declared on May 15, but health authorities now say sequencing showed it had begun months earlier, in February. Unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks, this one is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, though efforts to address that are under way.Experts say the outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to track and contain it in a remote part of eastern Congo affected by ongoing conflict, near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. Most new cases and deaths are being reported in communities beyond the reach of health workers in an area with poor infrastructure and ill-equipped health centres. Some health workers have gone on strike over lack of pay, while misinformation about the virus continues to circulate in communities where some people are wary of outsiders, keeping some away from clinics. "The outbreak had a big head start, still way ahead of us, and we're playing catch-up," Tedros said. WHO director for health emergency alert and response operations Dr Abdirahman Mahamud said the agency expects the outbreak to reach its peak in six months. "But ... that's the moderate scenario," Mahamud added. "There is a one-case scenario where this outbreak may last nine months to 12 months." The WHO's assessment underlines the scale of the outbreak and the challenges slowing the response in Congo.With PTI Inputs - EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 12, 2026 21:30 IST