WHO says DR Congo Ebola outbreak could be two to four times larger

A doctor provides care to a patient with Ebola virus disease at the Rwampara Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Bunia, Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 13, 2026. Photo: Benediction Murhabazi / AFP / Lehtikuva

International news

The World Health Organization has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is likely much larger than official figures, with modelling suggesting the true number of infections ranges from two to four times the confirmed total.

The warning came as doctors and other health workers at the centre of the outbreak threatened to stop work over unpaid salaries, adding pressure to an already stretched response.

The Congolese government reported on Sunday that at least 1,963 Ebola cases and 719 deaths had been recorded since the outbreak was declared on 15 May. According to WHO officials, those figures represent only part of the outbreak.