The Congo Ebola outbreak has reached 11,042 cases and 5,387 deaths, the deadliest in the country’s history, according to government data released Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Conflict and mistrust are hampering the response, the Health Ministry said.
According to Euronews, the 5,387 deaths are almost half of those infected. The Health Ministry data showed the same totals, and The Hindu reported them as the deadliest outbreak in the country. NPR World also reported that the government said Wednesday the outbreak had topped 11,000 cases, though its details could only be checked against the figures in its headline and short excerpt.
This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in Congo, and according to Euronews it is the fastest-growing in the country’s history. It passed 1,000 confirmed cases within 40 days. The 2018 outbreak took about 235 days to reach the same mark.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, Euronews reported. It has spread to eight of the country’s 26 provinces. Ituri and North Kivu are the two main hotspots.
The Health Ministry said unpaid salaries and worker strikes have paralysed key facilities. It said these problems have also stopped screening checkpoints at borders, river ports and airports, according to Euronews.
The ministry also warned that mistrust is hampering containment. It cited harmful rumours, refusals of screening, resistance to safe burials and violence against medical staff, including in Ituri.
Health authorities have also raised alarm over renewed fighting by armed groups in Ituri and North Kivu. They have called for an end to the fighting so health workers can reach the sick.
The response has also turned to vaccines. The World Health Organization backed two vaccine candidates last week, one from the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India and one from Moderna, Euronews reported. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said vaccines are not substitutes for proven measures such as early care, contact tracing and isolation.
For comparison, the West Africa outbreak of 2014 to 2016 recorded 28,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths. The Hindu reported that medical evidence suggests infections in Congo occurred months before the outbreak was declared in May.
A vaccine trial led by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, with support from WHO and other international partners, is planned. No start date has been reported.
The case and death totals come only from the Health Ministry and have not been independently confirmed. No response from the Congolese government or the Health Ministry to the reports of strikes and unpaid salaries has been reported. The key figures rely mainly on Euronews and The Hindu, with NPR World providing the same total.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.