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Congo's deadliest Ebola outbreak spread unrecognized
August 17, 2026
Misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid, the virus spread for about three months before Ebola was confirmed, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo now faces its deadliest outbreak.
Reuters carries the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the deadliest the country has seen. The Guardian reports the course that led there. Ebola was confirmed only after the virus had been spreading for about three months, with patients diagnosed instead with malaria or typhoid.
Reuters and Al Jazeera carry that same sequence, the months of malaria and typhoid diagnoses before the virus was identified. CNN and CTV News carry the event as well.
Two points hold across the accounts. The outbreak is the worst the country has faced, and Ebola was named only after months of other diagnoses. The three-month span is an approximation, and the outbreak itself is still under way.
Still developing
The three-month estimate of how long the virus circulated before confirmation is approximate, and the eventual scale of the outbreak is still forming.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- The Guardian — As Ebola kills thousands in DRC, a perfect storm is making the virus hard to stop | Devi Sridhar
- CTV News — Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history - CTV News
- CNN — Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history
- Al Jazeera — Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history