Over 80% of New Ebola Cases in DRC Fall Outside Tracked Contacts, WHO Says

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that more than 80% of new Ebola cases in the DRC's 17th outbreak are being detected outside known contact lists. Contact lists underpin Ebola containment: identified contacts are monitored for 21 days and isolated if symptomatic. Cases outside these lists mean transmission chains go untracked, and the outbreak's true extent likely exceeds the 2,344 confirmed cases reported by the DRC health ministry as of July 18, 2026.