Ebola outbreak on track to be deadliest ever, WHO chief says - BBC News

The outbreak, declared on 15 May, has caused more than 2,000 deaths, with thousands more reported cases.

Image source, EPAByTabby WilsonPublished13 August 2026, 02:31 BSTThe current outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak of the disease ever, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that the 2026 outbreak, "at its current pace", would "eclipse" that of the 2014-2016 occurrence, which killed at least 11,000 people.

The outbreak this year, declared on 15 May, has seen at least 4,300 cases and caused more than 2,000 deaths.

The WHO said on Wednesday it hoped to reverse the spread of the disease within three months but warned that this meant bringing transmission under control - not ending the outbreak entirely.

The epidemic was only officially declared in May, but it is believed the outbreak began at least three months before then, health officials said this week.