FAULTLINEGlobal event monitor The world todayAll situations

Humanitarian & health · Disease outbreak · Impact 5 Critical

Children make up over a quarter of deaths in DR Congo's worst Ebola outbreak

· ≈ Democratic Republic of Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo · single source so far

The DRC is battling its deadliest Ebola outbreak, caused by a rare strain with no approved treatment. Children account for more than a quarter of deaths, with an estimated 60 per cent fatality rate.

Location
≈ Democratic Republic of Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo · Dem. Rep. Congo live map
Coordinates
≈ 2.50°S 23.50°E
Reported
17 Oct 2026, 08:00 UTC
Category
Humanitarian & health · Disease outbreak
Impact
5 of 5 · Critical
Situation
Disease outbreaks
See it on the live globe → CBC News ↗

Disease outbreaks right now

▲ Escalating

Ebola spreads to a fourth country as Kenya reports a second death

On Friday, Kenya announced a second Ebola death, saying there is no evidence of community spread; the outbreak now spans four countries. Switzerland says the patient in Nigeria is a Swiss diplomat's wife who is believed to have been infected in Uganda, contradicting Uganda's earlier account. On Saturday, the WHO announced the start of a clinical trial of multiple Ebola vaccines in DR Congo. Separately, the CDC reported 4,588 US measles cases.

  • Officials say the Nigeria and Kenya Ebola patients both travelled through Entebbe airport on 3 October.
  • Nigeria's first case matches the Bundibugyo strain behind DR Congo's deadliest outbreak.
  • The CDC reported 178 more US measles cases, for 4,588 in total across at least 43 outbreaks.
  • California's flu test positivity is 9.65%, against a normal 1% for early October.
Updated 24 Oct 2026, 12:20 UTC · Written by Claude from the reports on this page and on the map. Check the linked sources for full details.

More from Disease outbreaks

All 27 events in Disease outbreaks →