On Aug. 6, 2026, The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for an urgent scale-up of the community-led Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with stronger early detection, contact follow up, access to care, support for frontline health workers and faster delivery of resources to affected communities. 

The call followed a joint high-level mission to Uganda and DRC on 4 and 5 August, which drew lessons from Uganda’s successful containment of local transmission, assessed operational challenges in Bunia and brought the priorities of communities and frontline responders into high-level discussions with national leaderships in Kinshasa.

As of 4 August 2026, the DRC had reported 3973 confirmed cases, 1801 deaths and 776 recoveries across 51 health zones in five provinces. In the latest 24-hour reporting period, the country recorded 99 new confirmed cases and 52 deaths. Contact follow-up stood at 75%, below the operational target of at least 95% required to identify transmission chains rapidly and ensure that new cases are detected among known contacts. A total of 674 people were under care. Treatment-centre occupancy in North Kivu had reached 139%, placing severe pressure on available beds, health workers and response operations.

Africa CDC and WHO reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Government of the DRC and affected communities through one coordinated response. Both organizations will continue to deploy technical expertise, strengthen regional preparedness and mobilize the resources required to interrupt transmission and protect lives.

Africa CDC and WHO continue to advise against unnecessary restrictions on travel or trade. Countries should instead strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, preparedness and cross-border coordination.