Congo's Ebola outbreak passes 10,000 cases as vaccine trials begin
More than 2,600 people have recovered. WHO says survivors can pass the virus on through sex, but not through sweat or saliva.
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Bunia — The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 10,000 cases. Health ministry figures show 10,141 cases and close to 5,000 deaths as of Monday.
It is Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak and its largest, and the second-largest anywhere after West Africa's in 2014–2016. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, and has spread to eight provinces, some of them hard to reach.
The World Health Organization says progress is being made. More than 2,600 people have recovered, testing and treatment capacity has grown, and the TUMAINI trials ("hope" in Swahili), launched in Bunia, are testing whether the Ervebo vaccine, made for the Zaire strain, can also protect against Bundibugyo. Close contacts of patients are vaccinated in rings, the method used in Guinea to prove Ervebo worked. WHO has also reviewed two vaccines designed specifically for Bundibugyo.
What survivors need to know
Patrick Otim of WHO's Africa office said:
- the virus can persist in semen after recovery, so male survivors should practise safer sex and be tested until they have two negative results in a row, or for 12 months where testing is not available;
- survivors discharged after two negative blood tests do not pass the virus on through sweat or saliva;
- people who are still ill can spread it through sweat and other body fluids.
Kenya has also had cases. Nigeria's one imported case was evacuated to Switzerland on 26 October.
Sources: UN News via AllAfrica, 29 October 2026; Premium Times via AllAfrica, 28 October 2026.
