The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused more than 500 deaths.
HealthDemocratic Republic of the Congo
- Omissions
- No source dated exactly on the session date (8 July 2026) was found confirming 'more than 500 deaths' on that day; the data closest to the session (early July 2026, Xinhua via Maroc Diplomatique) put deaths at 473 when confirmed cases exceeded 1,500.
- Official figures before the session (23 June 2026) showed only 277 confirmed deaths, and the 500-death mark was crossed around the session date (625 confirmed deaths by 12 July 2026 per WHO/AFRO).
- The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus species, for which no licensed vaccine/treatment exists, and it also spread to Uganda (20 confirmed cases, 2 deaths by 28 July 2026 per ECDC).
- Some corroborating figures (WHO/AFRO 12 July, WHO DON 30 July, ECDC 12 August) were published after the session date and describe periods after it; the MEP could not have known them, but they confirm the outbreak continued to grow well beyond the claimed toll.
- Sources
- PrimaryWorld Health Organization - Disease Outbreak News (2026-DON614)As of 30 July 2026, a total of 3605 confirmed cases, including 1587 deaths (CFR 44%), have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- SecondaryReliefWeb (UN OCHA) - Central/Eastern Africa: Ebola Outbreak - May 2026As of June 23, 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 confirmed deaths had been reported in the DRC, with 20 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths in Uganda.
- SecondaryMaroc Diplomatique (citing official DRC figures / Xinhua)La République démocratique du Congo (RDC) a enregistré plus de 1.500 cas de maladie à virus Ebola, dont 473 décès, selon des chiffres officiels (more than 1,500 Ebola cases, including 473 deaths, according to official figures).
- SecondaryECDC - Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and UgandaOn 12 August 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) published a situation update reporting a total of 4 566 confirmed cases, including 2 128 deaths.
- SecondaryUN NewsMore than 1,900 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak.