Most Ebola deaths in DRC outbreak occur outside treatment centres

As of 20 August 2026, the DRC's 17th Ebola epidemic has reached 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths. Roughly 60% of weekly fatalities over the past six weeks occurred outside treatment centres, pointing to transmission chains going undetected until after death. Contact tracing has improved to 84%, but the residual gap leaves significant exposure unmonitored at this scale.