Congo Ebola Outbreak Expands as Only 30,000 of More Than 400,000 Expected Contacts Are Traced
The Congo Ebola outbreak expanded further on September 25, 2026, with the World Health Organization reporting two additional affected health zones and Africa CDC warning of a major gap in contact tracing.
Health authorities have identified only about 30,000 people who may have been exposed, compared with more than 400,000 contacts expected based on the scale of the outbreak.
Ebola reaches 63 health zones
The WHO said the Bundibugyo virus outbreak had expanded to Bulu in Sud Ubangi province and Dungu in Haut-Uélé province near the South Sudan border.
The outbreak now affects 63 health zones across seven provinces.
More than 7,700 confirmed cases
WHO’s latest weekly situation report recorded 7,733 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo as of September 20, including 3,732 deaths.
That represents a crude case-fatality ratio of about 48.3%.
The contact-tracing gap
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya told Reuters that only about 30,000 potential contacts had been identified.
Authorities would normally expect roughly 60 direct or indirect contacts for every confirmed Ebola case.
With around 7,000 confirmed cases, that would imply a contact list of roughly 420,000 people.
More than 80% of new cases are outside contact lists
More than 80% of new confirmed cases are being detected among people who were not already being monitored as contacts.
That indicates significant transmission remains outside existing surveillance networks.
Why contact tracing matters
Contact tracing allows health teams to monitor people exposed to confirmed cases and rapidly isolate and test those who develop symptoms.
If most new infections are occurring among people not already under surveillance, stopping transmission becomes significantly more difficult.
Outbreak continues to spread geographically
The current outbreak, detected in May, is already the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, according to Reuters.
WHO has described the outbreak as unprecedented in scale for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Some progress, but transmission continues
Officials have reported signs that transmission is slowing in parts of Ituri, the outbreak’s main epicenter.
However, new health zones continue to report infections, and Africa CDC says community transmission remains a major concern.
Nearly $2.9 billion pledged
Africa CDC said nearly $2.9 billion was pledged for the Ebola response at a U.S.-convened meeting in New York.
The total includes about $886 million from the United States.
The bottom line
The biggest challenge is no longer simply the number of confirmed Ebola cases.
With more than 80% of new cases being detected outside known contact networks, health authorities are still struggling to see much of the transmission chain.
The outbreak’s expansion to 63 health zones across seven provinces means containment remains a major public-health challenge.
Profile News continues to track developments through its 24-hour breaking news page.
Sources
- Reuters — Congo Ebola contact tracing falls far short as outbreak spreads
- World Health Organization — Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in DRC
- WHO Africa — Weekly situation report
