The letter
Bulletin No. 126Situation as of 17 Sep 2026
Summary of the INSP bulletin, with each new release
The bulletin of 17 Sep 2026, published 18 Sep 2026, reports 66 new confirmed cases and 34 deaths. 66 cases is below the seven-day average of 74.1 a day. No new health zone since 10 Sep 2026: the outbreak remains in 62 zones across 7 provinces.
01The toll
Since the outbreak began, 7,541 confirmed cases and 3,639 deaths: 48.3% of patients have died. 1,823 people have recovered. 25 more than the day before. 930 patients are hospitalised in Ebola treatment centres. Over the past seven days, an average of 74.1 cases and 34.4 deaths a day, against 83.7 cases and 43.3 deaths the week before.
02Where
Ituri accounts for 37 of the 66 new cases. Then Nord-Kivu with 20, Tshopo with 5 and Haut-Uélé with 4. The other 3 provinces report none. 5 zones carry 37 of these 66 cases: Bunia 15, Beni 8, Nizi 5, Makiso-Kisangani 5 and Mongbwalu 4. 49 of the 62 affected health zones reported at least one new case in the past three weeks; 13 reported none.
03Deaths
Of the 34 deaths reported today, 16 occurred in the community, that is outside a treatment centre, and 18 in a treatment centre. Deaths outside a centre: 7 in Ituri, 7 in Nord-Kivu, 1 in Tshopo and 1 in Haut-Uélé. Those in a treatment centre: 12 in Ituri, 4 in Haut-Uélé and 2 in Nord-Kivu. The 12 in Ituri have not yet been assigned to a specific health zone, like 465 deaths before them.
04The response
Of 377 samples tested in the laboratory, 66 were positive, that is 17.5 %. 87.2 % of the people who had been close to a patient (the "contacts") were seen by follow-up teams, above the 85% threshold the INSP has set itself. Fewer than three contacts in four were seen in the following provinces: Sud-Ubangi. Ebola treatment centres are 64.0 % full: 919 patients for 1,437 beds. Beyond capacity: Nord-Kivu, 403 patients for 228 beds. Safe burials, carried out by protected teams to avoid contagion: 62 burials carried out and 61 bodies tested. The 76 deaths reported do not come from the same provinces: not all of them publish these figures, and the three numbers are not comparable. Around new cases, 58 prevention rings were set up out of 85 expected, that is the disinfection of the home and the follow-up of relatives. Vaccination: 3,771 people have received the Ervebo vaccine since the campaign began on 26 Aug 2026: 3,063 in Tshopo and 708 in Bas-Uélé. Since the previous bulletin, 253 more in Tshopo and 108 more in Bas-Uélé. At control points on roads and at borders, 291,557 travellers passed through and 97.8 % had a temperature check.
05The difficulties encountered
In Ituri, six treatment centres are full on the suspected-case side, insecurity still prevents the Avakubi control point from opening, and only 8 zones out of 28 report their data. In Nord-Kivu, 46.2% of patients are treated outside the planned facilities, no bed is left in Butembo or Katwa, 11 homes out of 49 have been disinfected and a hygiene worker has been threatened. In Tshopo, the patient who fled the treatment centre is still at home, safe blood is lacking, and of five refusals reported only two have been resolved. In Bas-Uélé, still no treatment centre and no ambulance, and more vaccine doses are needed. In Haut-Uélé, the psychosocial teams cannot travel to Wamba or Boma Mangbetu. In Sud-Kivu, no isolation room at any of the three entry points.