Congo’s Ebola outbreak has topped 11,000 cases, with 11,042 infections and 5,387 deaths, the health ministry said on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.[1] The same day, Kenya discharged its last Ebola patient and began a 42-day countdown to being declared free of the virus.[2]
Related: WHO Adds the First Bundibugyo-Specific Ebola Vaccines to a Congo Trial.
Congo’s outbreak
The outbreak was declared in mid-May and has spread to eight of Congo’s 26 provinces.[1] The Bundibugyo virus behind it has no known vaccine or treatment, NPR reported.
Armed conflict, a strained health system, poor roads and attacks on health workers have slowed the response. Renewed violence in the Ituri and North Kivu hotspots has led health authorities to call for a halt to fighting so workers can reach the sick.[1]
The outbreak is already the second-largest on record. The 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak caused 28,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths.[1] The virus has also reached Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
Kenya’s milestone
Kenya confirmed its first-ever Ebola case in early October, when a businessman died days after arriving in Nairobi from Congo.[2] Seven patients have since recovered, including four health workers, and 135 contacts completed 21 days of isolation. Kenya has reported no new confirmed cases since Oct. 20.
“Seven patients have recovered — and all contacts have completed their follow-up monitoring,” said Health Minister Aden Duale.[2] Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya called it “an encouraging moment for Kenya and for Africa.”
Under World Health Organization guidelines, 42 days must pass after the last patient tests negative before an outbreak can be declared over.[2]
More coverage is in our Africa section.
Sources
- NPR: Ebola tops 11,000 cases in Congo’s deadliest outbreak
- BBC News: Kenya discharges last Ebola patient in major milestone towards virus-free status
Read next in Health
Asia-PacificDelhi’s AQI Hits 382, Its Worst Since January, Triggering GRAP Stage 3 Curbs Two Days Before Diwali
HealthWHO Adds the First Bundibugyo-Specific Ebola Vaccines to a Congo Trial as Cases Pass 10,600
Boston Local News4,000 Brigham Nurses Are Two Days From an Open-Ended Strike After Midnight Talks Fail
Most read this week
- Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood Claims: What’s Confirmed and What Isn’t
- Kremlin Names Abu Dhabi Team as Ukraine Sets Security and Prisoner Priorities
- Drones Kill Workers at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear and Thermal Plants, IAEA Says, as Russian Strikes Hit 5 Substations
- Fall Out Boy Will Play Fenway Park on July 30, 2027, With The Offspring, Good Charlotte and The Story So Far
- Nvidia Board Hires Wachtell’s Joon Kim to Lead Huang Probe as Shares Fall 5.47% and an Investor Sues
Latest
- CFTC Investigates Kalshi Filings as Senators Target Drug-Trial Bets
- Judge Lets Trump’s $10 Billion Defamation Suit Against the BBC Proceed
- Saudi Oil Output Hits Pre-War High as U.S. Gas Falls Below $4 a Gallon
- Nvidia Board Prepares to Oust Jensen Huang, WSJ Reports; Shares Drop 7% Late
- Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Offers to Resign Over Diploma Ruling
Get The Boston Report Briefing
Our free weekly email with the most important stories from Boston and the world. Unsubscribe anytime.
Free. We never sell your address. Privacy policy