The letter
Bulletin No. 155Situation as of 16 Oct 2026
Summary of the INSP bulletin, with each new release
67 new cases, 26 deaths
The bulletin of 16 Oct 2026, published 17 Oct 2026, reports 67 new confirmed cases and 26 deaths. 67 cases is in line with the seven-day average of 71.6 a day. There is 1 new zone affected: Wapinda (Nord-Ubangi); the outbreak now affects 66 zones in 8 provinces.
Since the outbreak began, 9,415 confirmed cases and 4,536 deaths: 48.2% of patients have died. 2,522 people have recovered. 15 more than the day before. 916 patients are hospitalised in Ebola treatment centres. Over the past seven days, an average of 71.6 cases and 31.6 deaths a day, against 67.4 cases and 33.6 deaths the week before.
02 Where
Ituri accounts for 44 of the 67 new cases. Then Nord-Kivu with 14, Haut-Uélé with 7 and Nord-Ubangi with 2. The other 4 provinces report none. 5 zones carry 42 of these 67 cases: Mandima 18, Bunia 8, Rwampara 6, Wamba 6 and Mangala 4. 49 of the 66 affected health zones reported at least one new case in the past three weeks; 17 reported none.
03 Deaths
Of the 26 deaths reported today, 18 occurred in the community, that is outside a treatment centre, and 8 in a treatment centre. Deaths outside a centre: 10 in Ituri, 4 in Nord-Kivu, 3 in Haut-Uélé and 1 in Nord-Ubangi. Those in a treatment centre: 6 in Ituri and 2 in Haut-Uélé.
04 The response
3,320 reports of possible patients ("alerts") were received; 3,289 were checked and 530 retained as suspected cases, to be tested. Sud-Ubangi did not send its figures. Of 455 samples tested in the laboratory, 65 were positive, that is 14.3 %. This share reaches 28.4 % in Ituri. 79.1 % 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: Ituri. Ebola treatment centres hold 36 patients per 100 beds: 442 patients for 1,220 beds. Around new cases, 28 prevention rings were set up out of 60 expected, that is the disinfection of the home and the follow-up of relatives. Vaccination: 8,223 people have received the Ervebo vaccine since the campaign began on 26 Aug 2026: 4,953 in Tshopo (figure of 27 Sep 2026), 1,500 in Bas-Uélé (figure of 9 Oct 2026), 1,120 in Ituri (figure of 15 Oct 2026), 588 in Haut-Uélé and 62 in Nord-Kivu. Since the previous bulletin, 85 more in Haut-Uélé. At control points on roads and at borders, 275,498 travellers passed through and 98.3 % had a temperature check.
05 The difficulties encountered
In Ituri, 47 patients are in critical condition, blood may run short in the coming days, only 13 of 41 prevention rings have been opened and 17 of 92 bodies could not be swabbed. In Nord-Kivu, community resistance persists in Katwa, Beni, Butembo and Kalunguta, 44 safe and dignified burials have been postponed to the next day and, with no data for the day, the pressure on treatment centres cannot be measured: the day before, 95.6% of beds for suspected cases were occupied. In Haut-Uélé, treatment centres struggle to communicate without a Starlink connection, some unpaid staff are demotivated and data from Boma Mangbetu and Wamba are not coming in. In Tshopo, 7 confirmed cases have been lost to follow-up and the treatment centre lacks resuscitation equipment and specialists. In Bas-Uélé, only 20 of 41 checkpoints are working, there is neither an ambulance nor a treatment centre up to standard and vaccines are in short supply.
Where
| Province | Cases (24h) | Deaths (24h) | Confirmed cases | Deaths | Zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ituri | +44 | +16 | 6,891 | 3,180 | 28/36 |
| Nord-Kivu | +14 | +4 | 2,027 | 1,150 | 17/34 |
| Haut-Uélé | +7 | +5 | 406 | 174 | 7/13 |
| Nord-Ubangi | +2 | +1 | 2 | 1 | 1/11 |
| Tshopo | +0 | +0 | 71 | 25 | 7/23 |
| Sud-Kivu | +0 | +0 | 3 | 1 | 1/34 |
| Bas-Uélé | +0 | +0 | 13 | 4 | 4/11 |
| Sud-Ubangi | +0 | +0 | 2 | 1 | 1/16 |