last verifiable toll, as of May 29 2026 (DRC Ministry of Health)
VACCINE EFFICACY
97.5%
Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) in 2019 ring vaccination trial
PRIOR WHO PHEICs
2
public health emergencies declared for Congo Ebola outbreaks
ARMED GROUPS OPERATING
dozens
in eastern Congo, blocking contact tracers and cold chains
Deaths by Outbreak (All Recorded Ebola Episodes)
2025–26 (current)
2014–16 West Africa
prior outbreaks
Key Events Timeline
1976
Ebola first identified
Virus identified near the Ebola River in what is now DRC (then Zaire); 280 deaths in first recorded outbreak
2014
West Africa epidemic
Largest Ebola outbreak in history kills 11,310 people across Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia; WHO PHEIC declared
2019
Ervebo vaccine trial results
Merck rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine demonstrates 97.5% efficacy against Zaire ebolavirus in ring vaccination trial in Congo. Note: Ervebo is not effective against Bundibugyo virus, the strain causing the 2026 outbreak.
2019
DRC PHEIC declared
WHO declares Public Health Emergency of International Concern for the 2018–2020 North Kivu/Ituri outbreak
2026
2026 Ituri Bundibugyo outbreak and PHEIC
Outbreak of Ebola caused by Bundibugyo virus confirmed May 15, 2026 in Ituri Province; WHO declared PHEIC on May 17, 2026; approximately 349 deaths reported as of May 29, 2026; no licensed vaccine exists for this strain.