Ebola Kills 999 in DRC as Two Americans Are Evacuated and the Outbreak Shows No Sign of Slowing

What the report says

Medical Daily reported that an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had reached 2,473 confirmed Bundibugyo ebolavirus cases and 999 deaths as of July 21, 2026, citing the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and WHO outbreak information. The outbreak was declared by DRC health authorities on May 15 after confirmation in Mongbwalu Health Zone in Ituri Province, and the WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern the next day.

The report said Ituri Province remains the center of the outbreak, with most confirmed cases, while North Kivu and three other provinces have also been affected. Medical Daily noted that conflict, limited laboratory access and weakened health systems are likely causing infections to be missed, and that many cases are not linked to known transmission chains, complicating contact tracing.

Two U.S. citizens infected while doing humanitarian or medical work in the DRC were evacuated to Germany for treatment, according to the report. One, identified as Dr. Peter Stafford, was treated at Charité University Hospital and later recovered. A second American linked to Samaritan’s Purse tested positive in July and was flown to a university hospital in Frankfurt; WHO’s director-general said the patient was stable as of July 14. Medical Daily also reported an imported case in France and said no Bundibugyo Ebola cases have been confirmed in the United States.

The article emphasized that the risk to the general U.S. public remains low because Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from symptomatic or deceased patients, not through casual contact or the air. The highest-risk groups are health workers, aid staff, caregivers and people involved in burials in affected areas.