KEY POINTS
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Ebola deaths in the DRC have exceeded 5,000, with more than 10,000 people infected since May.
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The Bundibugyo strain has spread across eight DRC provinces and into neighbouring countries, with Nigeria also reporting a case.
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Saudi Arabia has suspended travel to and entry from Kenya and imposed visa restrictions amid growing regional concerns.
The death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 5,000 as authorities struggle to contain the country’s deadliest recorded outbreak of the virus.
Government data released on Friday showed that more than 10,000 people had been infected since the outbreak was declared in May 2026. The outbreak has spread across several provinces and into neighbouring countries, raising concerns about further transmission.
Outbreak spreads across eight provinces
The outbreak has affected eight of the DRC’s 26 provinces, with delayed detection, armed conflict and overstretched health services contributing to its spread.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, according to the report.
The lack of approved medical countermeasures has added to the challenges facing health authorities as they attempt to control infections and prevent further deaths.
Cases reported beyond Central Africa
The virus has also spread beyond the DRC. Nigeria reportedly became the fourth African country to report an Ebola case the previous week, extending the outbreak’s reach to West Africa.
Kenya and Uganda have also reported cases, increasing concerns about cross-border transmission and prompting some governments to introduce travel restrictions and quarantine measures.
The report did not provide further details about the cases reported in Nigeria or their circumstances.
Saudi Arabia imposes travel restrictions
Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it was suspending travel to and entry from Kenya, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The restrictions include suspending travel by Saudi citizens to Kenya and pausing the issuance of all visa categories to travellers from the country.
Saudi authorities are also barring entry to people arriving from Kenya, including those who have transited through other countries if they stayed in Kenya or another Ebola-affected country during the previous 21 days.
In June, Saudi Arabia had already suspended travel to and entry from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan as part of its response to the outbreak.
Other governments have also introduced travel restrictions or quarantine measures for people arriving from affected countries.
Second-largest Ebola outbreak on record
The current outbreak is the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, behind the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa.
That epidemic infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The latest death toll in the DRC underscores the scale of the current crisis, as authorities continue to face difficulties containing the virus amid strained healthcare services and its spread across national borders.
