WHO calls DR Congo Ebola outbreak global emergency as infections pass 5,000

The World Health Organization has described the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a global emergency after reported infections passed 5,000, according to a source report published on August 18, 2026.

Officials said they were continuing to identify new chains of transmission that must be broken to stop the outbreak. The finding indicates that containment efforts remain under pressure even as health teams trace new cases.

The source record did not provide a current death toll. The scale of reported infections and the continuing discovery of transmission chains make the outbreak a developing international public-health emergency.