Africa CDC Warns True Ebola Case Count in DRC Could Be 10,000–15,000 — 2–3x the Official Tally

Africa CDC officials warned on 22 August 2026 that DRC's official Ebola case count — 5,208 confirmed cases, 2,476 deaths (47.5% CFR), 1,115 recovered as of the 18 August situation report — likely captures only 30-40% of actual infections. Africa CDC's Kyeng Mercy said 'we are detecting just 30 to 40%. If you have to look at the real burden, we should be over 10,000 to 15,000 cases,' while emergency preparedness head Yap Boum II and Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya both warned 'we may go further than what we've seen in West Africa.' Kaseya said evidence suggests transmission may have begun around February 2026, months before the outbreak was formally declared on 15 May, meaning an unknown number of cases and deaths from that undetected period are missing from the official tally entirely. Kaseya added 'the current trajectory must change, and it should change.'