WHO Situation Report #15: DRC Ebola Cases Reach 5,584, Deaths 2,680, as Outbreak Spreads to Two New Health Zones

WHO's Regional Office for Africa published Weekly External Situation Report #15 (data as of 23 August 2026), recording 5,584 cumulative confirmed cases and 2,680 confirmed deaths in DRC — an increase of 563 cases and 302 deaths in the week since Report #14 (18 August: 5,021 cases, 2,378 deaths). The outbreak now spans 57 health zones across the same six affected provinces (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, Bas-Uélé), up from 54-55 in the prior report, with two newly affected health zones identified: Viadana in Bas-Uélé and Mutwanga in North Kivu. WHO characterized the outbreak as showing 'sustained transmission, high mortality and continued geographic expansion' more than three months into the response, with roughly 808 patients hospitalized in isolation and 83.4% of identified case contacts under active follow-up.