100 Days Into Outbreak, WHO Reports Contact Tracing Up to 84% and Treatment Beds Scaled 130x — But Deaths Still Rising

Marking 100 days since the outbreak's 15 May declaration, WHO and UN agencies published a joint assessment on 24 August 2026 documenting both the epidemic's scale and the response's growth. Cumulative figures cited: roughly 5,515 confirmed cases and 2,642 deaths (~48% CFR), with an average of nearly 90 new confirmed cases per day over the first three months — Ituri Province alone accounting for ~85% of cases and 79% of deaths. Response capacity has grown sharply since the outbreak's start: testing laboratories from 1 to 19 (processing 3,000+ samples daily), treatment beds from fewer than 10 to over 1,300, and contact-tracing follow-up from 9% in the outbreak's first week to 84% as of 18 August. Community engagement activities have reached over 2.5 million people, and more than 260 WHO experts plus 330+ tonnes of supplies have been deployed. Despite the scale-up, roughly 60% of the ~260 weekly deaths recorded over the prior six weeks occurred in communities outside treatment centers, and 155 healthcare workers have been infected with 50 killed. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 'we can bring the Ebola outbreak under control, but only through scaled-up action in affected communities,' while WHO Africa Regional Director Dr. Mohamed Janabi called the milestone 'a defining moment,' adding 'the progress made over the past three months shows that stronger action delivers results.'