DR Congo Ebola cases surpass 5,500 as Pope Leo urges global action

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is escalating rapidly, with the number of cases climbing to 5,515, including 2,642 deaths. According to the latest government figures, 51 new infections were recorded in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.

Sunday's update came as Pope Leo urged the international community to act to contain the disease, currently the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the DRC's history.

The outbreak was declared in mid-May, marking the country's 17th Ebola episode. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a public health emergency of international concern — its highest alert level — also covering neighboring Uganda.

The outbreak now risks surpassing the deadliest Ebola epidemic on record, the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people.

Government figures show the fatality rate in the DRC has risen from about 20% in early June to nearly 48% now, meaning almost half of those infected have died. However, contact tracing has improved markedly, from 30% in June to over 85%.

The outbreak has also taken a heavy toll on health workers. According to the WHO, about 160 medical staff have been infected, of whom around 45 have died.

Control efforts face numerous obstacles, including armed conflict in affected provinces, displacement, attacks on health workers and facilities, a highly mobile population, and a lack of critical infrastructure.

Vaccines arrive in the DRC

There is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for this particular Ebola strain, known as Bundibugyo, which is rarer than the virus strain responsible for most previous outbreaks.

The WHO has committed to supplying 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, licensed against Ebola and effective in earlier outbreaks. Preliminary animal trial data suggest it may offer some protection against the Bundibugyo strain. About 16,250 doses arrived in the DRC on Friday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other officials have argued that the response in the DRC needs to be scaled up two to three times to contain the outbreak and reach all affected areas. They also called for more support and protection for frontline health workers, including protective equipment, timely pay, access to rapid diagnostics, and high-quality care if they become infected.

Abdulsalami Nasidi, a public health consultant who helped establish the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told Al Jazeera that the outbreak is “spiraling out of control.” He blamed weak infection-control measures and a lack of trust between authorities and affected communities for the continued spread.

“This is no longer a national or regional issue, but a global one. If the outbreak spreads to neighboring areas with low immunity, it would be a catastrophe,” Nasidi added.

The WHO currently assesses the risk to the global community as low but warns that the risk within the DRC remains very high.

Despite rising case numbers, Uganda and several health zones in Ituri and South Kivu of the DRC have managed to halt transmission chains — evidence, according to the WHO, that rapid detection, decisive leadership, and community engagement can break the cycle of transmission.

At the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Leo prayed for the DRC “in the face of the spread of Ebola, which sadly is claiming many lives.” He also called for global action to help save people.

“I urge the international community to respond in a way that involves local communities in prevention efforts so that as many lives as possible can be saved,” the Pope emphasized.