The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says its worst-ever Ebola outbreak has passed its peak and is now under control. But the assessment comes as the virus continues to spread geographically, with the outbreak crossing 7,000 cases and 3,398 deaths and reaching a seventh province. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in May in northeastern Ituri province. As of September 10, DRC authorities had recorded 7,022 cases and 3,398 deaths, giving the outbreak a case-fatality rate of about 48%. Around 837 people remained in isolation or treatment. DRC Says Ebola Has Passed Its Peak DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the government believes transmission has already peaked. The DRC government says the decline in cases attributes to a number of developments. They say that 10 health zones affected before the latest expansion of the outbreak reported no new cases for at least 21 days. According to Xinhua news agency, transmission has slowed in several regions in the eastern province of Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak. Despite the slowdown, authorities called for strict monitoring and contact tracing, saying close surveillance remains necessary in regions where recent flare-ups have been reported. “The 17th Ebola outbreak is under control, and the peak was reached at the beginning of the third week of August 2026,” Muyaya said while presenting the findings of a cabinet meeting and citing Health Minister Roger Kamba. The government’s assessment comes despite the detection of Ebola in South-Ubangi, a northwestern province that had not previously been affected during this outbreak. The first reported patient there was a 23-year-old man who later died. He had traveled extensively before coming in Sud-Ubangi. He had travelled across several provinces neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, as well as both road and river routes.Also read: Ebola Cases Cross 6,000, Death Toll Nears 3,000 In Congo; Mortality Rate Remains Close To 50% WHO Warns The Outbreak Is Still Uncontrolled The World Health Organization does not seem to agree with DRC’s claims. In its latest assessment, WHO said the outbreak “remains uncontrolled and increasingly heterogeneous,” with transmission declining in some areas while continuing to intensify or spread in others. WHO's latest data, covering September 7, recorded 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths in DRC. The agency said transmission remained variable, with continued geographic expansion and sustained increases in some health zones. It is important to understand that a fall in cases in some hotspots does not necessarily mean the outbreak is over if new transmission chains are appearing elsewhere.Also read: Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo Surpasses 3,000 Deaths: WHO & UN Say Outbreak Is Outpacing Response DRC’s Deadliest Ebola Outbreak The current epidemic is DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak and it has spread through remote and conflict-affected areas where healthcare infrastructure is limited. The WHO has also warned about shortages of trained healthcare workers, response partners, and funding. Nearly 1,400 isolation and treatment beds have been established across affected areas, but the response still needs thousands more healthcare workers and additional resources. Other challenges include unregulated and unsafe burials, population displacement, and delayed diagnosis. WHO has warned that late detection increases the risk of transmission within households, communities, and healthcare facilities. Unlike the Zaire species responsible for previous major Ebola outbreaks, the Bundibugyo strain currently driving the DRC epidemic has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Experimental vaccines and treatments are being evaluated. Vaccine for Zaire virus is also being tested to examine its efficacy on Bundibugyo Ebolavirus. Ebola spreads primarily through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person or someone who has died from the disease. Symptoms can include fever, severe weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, bleeding.