The letter
Bulletin No. 096Situation as of 18 Aug 2026
Summary of the INSP bulletin, with each new release
The bulletin of 18 Aug 2026, published 19 Aug 2026, reports 103 new confirmed cases and 56 deaths. 103 cases is above the seven-day average of 91.7 a day. There is 2 new zones affected: Boma Mangbetu (Haut-Uélé) and Viadana (Bas-Uélé); the outbreak now affects 56 zones in 6 provinces.
01The toll
Since the outbreak began, 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths: 47.5% of patients have died. 1,115 people have recovered. 24 more than the day before. 730 patients are hospitalised in Ebola treatment centres. Over the past seven days, an average of 91.7 cases and 49.7 deaths a day, against 84.7 cases and 46.7 deaths the week before.
02Where
Ituri accounts for 82 of the 103 new cases. Then Nord-Kivu with 12, Haut-Uélé with 8 and Bas-Uélé with 1. The other 2 provinces report none. 5 zones carry 72 of these 103 cases: Bunia 25, Rwampara 16, Nizi 15, Mangala 8 and Isiro 8. 48 of the 56 affected health zones reported at least one new case in the past three weeks; 8 reported none.
03Deaths
Of the 56 deaths reported today, 35 occurred in the community, that is outside a treatment centre, and 21 in a treatment centre. Deaths outside a centre: 29 in Ituri, 5 in Nord-Kivu and 1 in Haut-Uélé. Those in a treatment centre: 14 in Ituri, 4 in Nord-Kivu and 3 in Haut-Uélé. The 14 in Ituri have not yet been assigned to a specific health zone, like 160 deaths before them.
04The response
1,840 reports of possible patients ("alerts") were received; 1,636 were checked and 389 retained as suspected cases, to be tested. Of 425 samples tested in the laboratory, 103 were positive, that is 24.2 %. 84.0 % of the people who had been close to a patient (the "contacts") were seen by follow-up teams, below the 85% threshold the INSP has set itself. Fewer than three contacts in four were seen in the following provinces: Bas-Uélé and Haut-Uélé. Ebola treatment centres are 55.5 % full: 657 patients for 1,183 beds. Around new cases, 19 prevention rings were set up out of 74 expected, that is the disinfection of the home and the follow-up of relatives.
05The difficulties encountered
In Ituri, two patients fled the Bambu treatment centre for lack of food, and 73 patients in Kilo, Sota, Bambu, Lolwa, Mangala and Rimba receive no food support; the Bambu, Logo and Kigonze centres are saturated, 19 prevention rings were opened out of 74 expected and 76 places disinfected out of 96, refusals of safe burial are reported in PK51, Bambu, Mangala and Komanda, a refusal of burial on religious grounds in Bunia, and six suspected cases in Rwampara refuse isolation. In Bas-Uélé, the Buta centre has neither a water connection nor an ambulance, a family used threats to prevent the full disinfection of a home, three isolated alert cases in Poko fled at night, the hygiene team has no means of transport, and contact follow-up remains weak, as in Tshopo. In Haut-Uélé, only 11 entry points are active out of 38 priority ones and six control points are on strike. In Nord-Kivu, 2,383 travellers refused the temperature check. In Tshopo, the treatment centre lacks space, power and safe blood, two health facilities have hygiene scores below 13%, and 22 motorbikes are available out of 200 needed. The Lwiro centre, in Sud-Kivu, needs protective equipment.