Update: Congo's Ebola outbreak reaches 11,042 confirmed cases and 5,387 deaths

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have reached 11,042, with at least 5,387 deaths, according to government data released Tuesday and reported by Al Jazeera, drawing on Reuters. CIDRAP carries the same two figures. This updates our Oct. 27 report, when the count first passed 10,000.

The numbers across four reports

The first three rows come from WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The sources count on different dates, so the rows are not evenly spaced. The data cutoff for the latest figure was not stated in the reports we read.

What the arithmetic says

From the ECDC figure through Oct. 25 to the latest government release is a rise of 982 cases (11,042 minus 10,060) and 500 deaths (5,387 minus 4,887). The cutoff of the latest figure is not stated, so a per-day rate is only approximate: between the Oct. 26 and Nov. 10 reports, about 15 days, that works out to roughly 65 new confirmed cases a day. The increase from the ECDC figure through Nov. 4 to the latest release is 301 cases, which suggests no sign yet of the count flattening, though three data points are not a trend.

Deaths divided by confirmed cases is 48.8% (5,387 / 11,042). Treat that as a rough ratio, not a fatality rate: many recent cases have not yet resolved, and many deaths have occurred outside treatment centres, per Al Jazeera, so some deaths may not be linked to confirmed cases.

Second-largest on record

Al Jazeera reports the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, is now the second-largest and second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, behind the 2014-2016 West African epidemic (more than 28,600 infected, more than 11,000 dead). Eight of the DRC\'s 26 provinces are affected. No vaccine or treatment has been developed specifically for this strain, and Al Jazeera says the WHO approved trials of two new vaccines earlier this month, with results expected in early 2027.

Beyond Congo

CIDRAP reports Kenya began a 42-day countdown after discharging its last patient, with nine infections traced to one traveller from Congo in early October. Nigeria has had one case, and Uganda is Ebola-free after 20 cases earlier this year, per CIDRAP. See our Kenya report. ECDC rates the likelihood of infection for people living in the EU/EEA as very low and for EU/EEA travellers to affected areas as low.

Who it touches

For businesses, the exposure is mostly operational: staff or shipments moving through eastern Congo, mining and logistics firms with sites in the affected provinces, and travel to and from the region. We found no company-specific disruption announcements in the sources we read this run, and we are not stating any market impact. Check your carrier and insurer for current travel guidance.

Sources: Al Jazeera (with Reuters), CIDRAP, ECDC, WHO. This is news information, not medical or investment advice.