Vatican City (Running Africa) — Pope Leo has called for urgent international action to contain the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging global partners to work alongside local communities to strengthen prevention efforts and save lives.
The outbreak, declared in mid-May 2026, is the DR Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic and has become the deadliest in the country’s history.
As of August 24, health authorities had recorded 5,515 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,642 deaths, pushing the fatality rate to nearly 48%.
The crisis has been compounded by armed conflict, displacement, attacks on healthcare facilities and weak infrastructure, creating major obstacles for health workers attempting to reach affected communities.
Pope Leo Urges International Support for DR Congo Ebola Response
Pope Leo appealed for greater international cooperation as health authorities struggle to bring transmission under control.
He urged governments, humanitarian organizations and other global partners to strengthen support for prevention and response efforts while ensuring that local communities remain central to the strategy.
Community involvement is particularly important in Ebola outbreaks, where rapid identification of infections, isolation of patients, contact tracing and public trust can determine whether transmission is contained.
The Pope’s appeal comes as health experts warn that the current response needs to expand significantly to match the scale of the crisis.
DR Congo Ebola Death Toll Reaches 2,642
The latest figures underscore how rapidly the outbreak has worsened.
By August 24, the DRC had recorded 5,515 confirmed infections, with 2,642 people dying from the virus.
That represents a case fatality rate approaching 48%, meaning nearly half of confirmed patients have died.
The scale of the outbreak has already made it the deadliest Ebola epidemic recorded in the country, which has experienced repeated outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the region in 1976.
Health experts have warned that response operations may need to be expanded by two to three times to interrupt transmission and reach communities where cases continue to emerge.
Conflict and Displacement Complicate Ebola Response
Containing the outbreak has become significantly more difficult because it is unfolding in areas affected by armed conflict and population displacement.
Insecurity can restrict access for health workers, interrupt surveillance and contact tracing and make it difficult to transport medical supplies to communities where they are most needed.
Attacks on healthcare facilities have created an additional challenge, while poor infrastructure has slowed the movement of response teams.
Population displacement also increases the risk that infected individuals could travel between communities before being identified, complicating efforts to trace contacts and isolate cases.
160 Health Workers Infected as 45 Die
Healthcare workers have paid a particularly heavy price during the outbreak.
Around 160 health workers have been infected with Ebola, while at least 45 have died, according to reported figures.
The loss of medical personnel can further weaken a health system already under severe pressure, particularly in areas where staffing and resources were limited before the outbreak began.
Protecting frontline workers through adequate equipment, infection-control measures and rapid access to treatment remains a critical part of the wider response.
WHO Sends Vaccine Doses to DR Congo
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no specifically approved vaccine.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has pledged 70,000 vaccine doses to support the response.
The first 16,250 doses arrived in the DRC on August 21, providing health authorities with additional resources as they attempt to contain transmission.
The deployment comes alongside efforts to develop and test treatments and preventive measures specifically relevant to the Bundibugyo strain.
WHO Says Global Ebola Risk Remains Low
Despite the severity of the crisis inside Congo, the WHO currently assesses the global risk from the outbreak as low.
Within the DRC, however, the threat remains very high.
That distinction reflects the intensity of transmission within affected communities while indicating that the outbreak has not yet developed into a comparable international public health threat.
Health authorities nevertheless face significant pressure to contain the virus before continued transmission, displacement and cross-regional movement create additional risks.
Experts Call for DR Congo Ebola Response to Triple in Scale
With infections above 5,500 and deaths exceeding 2,600, experts say the existing response is not yet operating at the scale required to bring the epidemic under control.
Calls to expand operations two to threefold reflect the need for more healthcare workers, treatment capacity, surveillance, contact tracing, community engagement and logistical support.
Pope Leo’s appeal adds a prominent international voice to those demands.
For the DRC, the challenge is no longer simply responding to another Ebola outbreak. With the country confronting its deadliest Ebola epidemic on record, the priority is rapidly expanding the response before conflict, displacement and continued transmission push the crisis further beyond the reach of health authorities.
