Ebola in DR Congo is still out of control six months on, MSF warns, as funds fail to reach the front line
Médecins Sans Frontières warned on Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — the second largest on record, with confirmed cases past 11,000 and deaths past 5,000 — remains out of control six months after it was declared. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars disbursed for the response, MSF says frontline workers are trying to contain the virus with 'empty hands and empty pockets': staff untrained and unpaid, ambulances without fuel, and a surveillance system that is missing most cases. The World Health Organization acknowledged delays in paying health workers and said insecurity is now among the biggest obstacles.
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Key points
- MSF says the outbreak remains out of control six months after it was declared, despite hundreds of millions of dollars disbursed for the response.
- Frontline staff are untrained and unpaid, ambulances lack fuel, and surveillance exists on paper in places, MSF says.
- Close to two-thirds of recent Ebola deaths happened in communities, not treatment centres; in Ituri only 9% of MSF's patients had been traced as contacts.
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- Confirmed cases have passed 11,000 and deaths 5,000; the WHO acknowledges payment delays and calls insecurity a top obstacle.
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What happened
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola — for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments — was declared on 15 May 2026 and has become the second largest on record. It is concentrated in the east, in provinces including Ituri, North Kivu and Haut-Uélé, where conflict and attacks on health facilities have repeatedly interrupted the response.
MSF, among the first organisations to support the Congolese authorities in May, now runs eight Ebola treatment centres with three rapid response teams across five of the eight affected provinces, and says about 1,500 patients with confirmed Ebola have been admitted to its supported facilities. It has allocated €64.6 million to its response, funded almost entirely by private donations, with some 2,900 people involved, about 90 per cent of them locally recruited.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That MSF issued the warning on 12 November, in its own statement, with its field figures.
- That confirmed cases have passed 11,000 and deaths 5,000, on MSF's and Reuters' reporting.
- That the WHO's director-general has acknowledged health-worker payment delays.
What we don't know yet
- The Congolese government's response to MSF's statement — it did not immediately answer Reuters.
- How much of the money mobilised for the response has reached each health zone, or when unpaid responders will be paid.
- The outbreak's true size — modelling suggests only about half of cases are being detected.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (6)
Why this label: MSF's own statement is the primary source for its warning; Reuters reports the same statement and assessment.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The list and the quotation are from MSF's statement, reported in the same terms by Reuters.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: These are MSF's own operational figures, from its treatment centres and field teams, and are carried as its data.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The totals and the outbreak's ranking agree between MSF's statement and Reuters' report, which puts confirmed cases past 11,000.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: A modelling estimate reported by Reuters — an expert estimate, not a count, which is why it is not labelled verified.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why this label: The WHO's position is as reported by Reuters; the Congolese government's answer to MSF's statement is still awaited and is carried in the don't-know list.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Ebola responses stand or fall on surveillance: find cases early, trace their contacts, isolate safely. MSF's charge is that the money mobilised internationally is not becoming those basics on the ground — and its figures on missed contacts and deaths in the community are the measurable sign. If the charge is right, the outbreak's true size is larger than the official count, and the virus will keep spreading through some of the very facilities meant to stop it.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
The Ebola outbreak is declared in DR Congo, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus.
Confirmed cases pass 10,000; the outbreak becomes Congo's largest and the second largest on record.
Deaths pass 5,000. An attack on Cantine-Aloya in North Kivu kills civilians and health workers and scatters Ebola patients and contacts.
MSF warns the outbreak remains out of control and that mobilised funds are not reaching the front line.
Update history
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Published in Checking state — MSF's warning and figures are on the record, and the Congolese government's response is still to come.