The Ebola outbreak centred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has already caused 500 deaths.

Omissions

• The death toll cited (about 500) refers to confirmed deaths as of early July 2026; WHO data later showed the outbreak escalated extremely rapidly (1,587 deaths by 30 July 2026), so the figure was already climbing steeply at the time of the statement.
• The 506 figure as of 4 July 2026 comes from the DRC Ministry of Health as reported by UN News and the WHO; it does not include suspected cases or deaths in Uganda (a separate, much smaller count).
• The sources found were published on or shortly after the session date (UN News article of July 2026 and ReliefWeb updates of 15 July 2026); the underlying data (4 July 2026) predates the session and was knowable to the MEP.

Sources

• PrimaryWHO - Disease Outbreak News (DON 614), Bundibugyo virus disease in DRCAs of 30 July 2026, a total of 3,605 confirmed cases, including 1,587 deaths (CFR 44%), have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — confirming that the outbreak's death toll was well past 500 by early July 2026 and escalating rapidly.
• SecondaryUN NewsEbola continues to spread in DRC as death toll passes 500: 'as of 4 July, the country's Government has recorded 1,561 confirmed cases, including 506 deaths'.
• SecondaryReliefWeb (OCHA) - Central/Eastern Africa: Ebola Outbreak - May 2026As of 15 July 2026, a cumulative total of 2,124 confirmed cases, including 828 deaths, have been reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; as of 23 June 2026, 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 confirmed deaths had been reported in the DRC — bracketing a death toll that passed 500 in early July 2026.