Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have surpassed 6,000, with nearly 3,000 deaths, according to figures released on Monday.

Local authorities reported that as of Saturday, the DRC had recorded 6,041 confirmed cases across six provinces, including 2,911 deaths, bringing the overall case fatality rate to 48.2%. A total of 1,366 patients have recovered.

The outbreak has now affected 60 health zones across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo.

The current outbreak, declared in May, has become the country's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.

(Cover: A health worker pauses after disinfecting a treatment center for Ebola patients, Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 31, 2026. /CFP)