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Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: 11 Nov 2026

The summary as it stood at the end of this day.

Status: Outbreak growing Summary written

Ebola cases in DRC surpass 11,000 while Kenya begins 42-day countdown

Is it spreading beyond DR Congo?

Spread confirmed

As of 11 November 2026, Kenyan health authorities confirmed that the virus spread to Kenya, where all seven recorded patients have recovered and the country has discharged its final patient, initiating a 42-day countdown to Ebola-free status.

Sources: The Star (Kenya)ReutersAfricanews

Key figures

FigureValueBasisAs ofSources
Total cumulative cases (DRC)
Reported by Euronews; DRC authorities and government data confirmed total cases passed 11,000 following 52 new infections.
11,042Press reportsSources: EuronewsBBCReuters
Total deaths (DRC)
Reported by Euronews and Al Jazeera; Le Monde reported over 5,300 deaths.
5,387Press reportsSources: EuronewsAl JazeeraLe Monde
Total cases in Kenya
Stated by Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale; all seven patients have recovered.
7Press reportsSources: The Star (Kenya)
Student deaths in North Kivu
Stated by health officials at a press briefing in Beni out of at least 50 positive student cases across 44 schools.
31OfficialSources: Radio OkapiMediacongo
Unmonitored contacts (DRC)
Estimated by the World Health Organization as escaping follow-up due to tracking and security obstacles.
Over 10,000OfficialSources: DW

Who says what

WhoSaysDateSources
Ministry of Public Health (DRC)Stated that North Kivu province has become the main source of new Ebola notifications, while Ituri province accounts for 70 percent of cumulative cases.Sources: Actualite.cd
Kenyan Health Authorities / Cabinet Secretary Aden DualeConfirmed all seven Ebola patients in Kenya have recovered and the final patient has been discharged, starting the 42-day countdown to Ebola-free status.Sources: The Star (Kenya)ReutersDaily Nation (Kenya)
World Health Organization (WHO)Warned that over 10,000 contacts are escaping follow-up and that attacks on healthcare facilities in North Kivu compromise Ebola response efforts.Sources: DWRadio Okapi
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)Urged immediate expanded access to the Ervebo Ebola vaccine across affected zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Sources: Doctors Without Borders (MSF)TV5Monde
United NationsWarned that armed conflict, insecurity, and community displacement in Ituri and North Kivu directly threaten humanitarian response activities.Sources: UN NewsActualite.cdRFI

Summary

As of 11 November 2026, total recorded Ebola virus disease cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have surpassed 11,000, reaching 11,042 cases and 5,387 deaths, with authorities announcing 52 new infections. In North Kivu, health officials reported that at least 50 students across 44 schools have tested positive, resulting in 31 student deaths. Meanwhile, response operations in Ituri and North Kivu face severe disruptions due to armed violence, road deterioration, and a strike by response drivers in Djugu territory [e8ec3c8d56f9118e, 6b3397141ef8919a, d1eab70ed477195e, 4d45e80b202f4652, 9ed0064fd7b50e8e, 21710b2f03f2bdd4].

The World Health Organization estimated that more than 10,000 contacts are lost to follow-up in the DRC, while UN officials warned that ongoing insecurity compromises containment efforts in Ituri province, which accounts for roughly 70 percent of cumulative cases. To prevent further transmission, airport closures in Bunia have been extended through February 2027, and MSF has called for broader emergency access to the Ervebo vaccine as clinical treatment trials get underway in the outbreak epicenter [365fc977b4945985, e20d63a67919204a, 99d043e43a0b0e22, 019655ea104dcc0f, 1c59b5c1b4827ee7, fafe806eb2e2d04a].

In Kenya, Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that all seven registered Ebola cases in the country have fully recovered. Following the discharge of the country's final patient from the hospital, Kenya officially initiated the required 42-day countdown to be declared free of the outbreak [68da5eb7ba92882e, 39d18c5c3628c7ae, 9661546bf9004adb].

Timeline

  1. Local authorities reopen two health facilities in Lubero territory, North Kivu, after a one-month closure triggered by Ebola cases.
    Sources: Radio Okapi
  2. DRC Minister of Public Health Roger Kamba reports that North Kivu is the main source of new Ebola cases, while Ituri holds 70 percent of total cases.
    Sources: Actualite.cd
  3. Thirteen recovered Ebola patients, including five health workers, are discharged from the Beni treatment center; clinical treatment trials begin in the DRC epicenter.
    Sources: Radio OkapiMediacongoLe Monde
  4. Health officials report 50 students across 44 schools tested positive for Ebola in North Kivu, resulting in 31 student deaths; Bunia airport closure is extended to February 2027.
    Sources: Radio OkapiMediacongoRadio Okapi 2
  5. Kenya discharges its last Ebola patient and begins a 42-day countdown to Ebola-free status; total DRC cases surpass 11,000.
    Sources: ReutersAfricanewsBBCEuronews

Still unknown

Reporting published on 11 Nov 2026