DRC Ebola Cases Surpass 5,000 as WHO Warns Response Is Being Outpaced

A DRC Ministry of Health situation update published 19 August 2026 (data through 18 August) recorded 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths, an increase of 187 cases and 98 deaths in a single day, with 730 patients hospitalized in isolation. The outbreak formally crossed the 5,000-case threshold, becoming the fastest-growing Ebola epidemic ever recorded — reaching that scale in roughly three months, about three times faster than the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic reached comparable totals. Epidemiological week 32 (3–9 August) recorded the highest weekly totals of the outbreak so far: 579 cases and 304 deaths. WHO said the epidemic 'is far from being under control,' and MSF emergency coordinator Trish Newport said community awareness remains critical: 'the community needs to be aware about the outbreak, they need to know what to do if they get sick.'