WHO Convenes Second IHR Emergency Committee as DRC Report Puts Toll at 5,021 Cases, 2,378 Deaths

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opened the second IHR Emergency Committee meeting on the Bundibugyo virus disease PHEIC on 18 August 2026, warning 'we must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control' and that 'this is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, and it is moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreak.' The same day, the DRC Ministry of Health published a situation report (data through 16 August) recording 5,021 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths — a crude case-fatality ratio of roughly 47.4% overall, reaching approximately 70% in North Kivu province. Most deaths continue to occur in communities rather than at treatment centers. In Bunia, Ituri province, a mob attacked a health response team, torching an ambulance and damaging two other vehicles amid rising community mistrust; nurse Thérèse Anyiya warned 'if the managers don't take things seriously, we too will end up withdrawing.'