Democratic Republic of the Congo: DRC health officials say Ebola outbreak past peak despite death toll surpassing 4,000.

Shotlist North Kivu, DR Congo - Sept 21-23, 2026 1. Kitatumba Ebola Treatment Center in Butembo 2. Various of medical workers in protective suits undergoing spray disinfection Ituri Province, DR Congo - Recent 3. Various of Ebola treatment center, medical workers in protective suits DR Congo - Recent 4. Various of medical workers at treatment center, patients Kinshasa, DR Congo - Oct 2, 2026 5. Officials greeting each other before press briefing 6. SOUNDBITE (French) Roger Kamba, Health Minister of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): "With all the evidence we have presented, we can affirm that the peak of the epidemic is now behind us. The outbreak is no longer beyond our control. We are no longer chasing it. Before we were trailing it, but now we are staying ahead and anticipating its course." DR Congo - Recent 7. Researcher working in laboratory 8. Various of medical workers at treatment center Ituri Province, DR Congo - Recent 9. Various of nurse working in ward FILE: Ituri Province, DR Congo - July 24-25, 2026 10. Pedestrians; traffic 11. Poster for Ebola prevention 12. Various of people having body temperature checked DR Congo - Recent 13. Various of posters for Ebola prevention on street Storyline Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said Friday that the Ebola outbreak has eased in several areas, with no new cases reported in multiple health zones for weeks, even as the total death toll has surpassed 4,000. Data released Friday showed that the outbreak has claimed 4,018 lives among 8,300 confirmed cases across seven provinces, with an overall case fatality rate of 48.4 percent. A total of 2,162 patients have recovered. The virus, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, spread quickly across remote areas that were already grappling with insecurity and poor health facilities, making it difficult for health authorities to contain the disease. While, after weeks of scaling up operations, officials say cases are now declining. "We are no longer talking about outbreaks at the provincial level, but outbreaks concentrated in individual health zones," Health Minister Roger Kamba told a press briefing in Kinshasa. Of the 63 health zones affected across seven provinces since the outbreak began, 12 have reported no new cases for 42 days, Kamba said. "With all the evidence we have presented, we can affirm that the peak of the epidemic is now behind us. The outbreak is no longer beyond our control. We are no longer chasing it. Before we were trailing it, but now we are staying ahead and anticipating its course," said Kamba. Despite signs of localized improvement in the DRC's Ebola outbreak situation, international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres warned Thursday that the actual toll was likely higher than officially reported due to gaps in disease surveillance and case detection. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said that the DRC's Ebola outbreak is not yet under control despite a decline in cases in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak. The Ebola outbreak declared in May has become the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the DRC and the second largest Ebola outbreak worldwide, after the 2014-2016 one in West Africa. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]