The Ebola outbreak that began in Congo in May is now the second-largest on record, with nearly 9,700 confirmed cases across five countries; Nigeria reported its first on October 20. What is confirmed, how Ebola actually spreads, why the CDC still rates the risk to Americans as low, and what is worth having at home.
The outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. As of October 20, the CDC counts 9,668 confirmed cases and 4,649 deaths, almost all of them in Congo: 9,637 cases and 4,646 deaths there. The CDC calls it the second-largest Ebola outbreak in history. Only the 2014 to 2016 epidemic in West Africa, which infected more than 28,000 people, was larger.
About half of the people confirmed to have it have died; the WHO put the share at 48.2 percent as of October 6. The center of the outbreak is Ituri province in northeastern Congo. On October 19 it reached an eighth Congolese province, and North Kivu began a one-week ban on people arriving from Ituri. The WHO reports a mixed picture: "clear signs that the epidemic is slowing down" in some areas, while it keeps growing in others. Of 372 recent deaths in the WHO's latest update, 264 occurred in the community, which the WHO links to delays in recognizing the illness and reaching care.
There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, according to the WHO. A trial of possible treatments, an antibody called MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir, began enrolling patients in July, and a trial in Congo of the existing Ebola vaccine, which was made for a different strain, is expected to start by late October.
Four other countries have confirmed cases, according to the CDC. Uganda had 20, most of them people who had been in Congo, and was declared free of Ebola in August. France had one in June, a doctor who had worked in Ituri; French health authorities say the doctor was treated and recovered.
Kenya now has nine cases and one death. Its first patient traveled from Congo and died in a Nairobi hospital on October 5. Three of the people infected since are health workers who treated him. Kenya's director-general for health, Patrick Amoth, says "all nine cases belong to one cluster," that there is no evidence of spread outside that group, and that 134 of the 135 people who had contact with the patients have been traced and quarantined.
Nigeria confirmed its first case on October 20: a woman who had flown into Abuja from Uganda. Her symptoms began on October 7, and she was admitted to a private hospital on October 11. Health Minister Muhammad Pate says authorities are tracing 44 people who had contact with her. How she was infected has not been published.
The WHO rates the risk as very high in Congo, high in the countries that border it, and low for the rest of the world, and it advises against restricting travel or trade with affected countries.
No cases from this outbreak have been reported in the United States. The CDC says "the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low."
The reason is how Ebola spreads. According to the CDC, a person is infected when broken skin, or the eyes, nose or mouth, come into contact with the blood or body fluids of someone who is sick with Ebola or has died of it, such as urine, saliva, sweat, vomit or feces, or with things those fluids touched, like clothes, bedding and needles. The CDC says "Ebola does NOT spread the same way as respiratory viruses like flu and COVID," and that people "cannot spread the disease before symptoms begin to appear." There is no evidence that mosquitoes or other insects spread it. That is why health officials can contain an imported case by finding and watching the people who had contact with the patient, as Kenya and Nigeria are doing.
The United States has also tightened travel. The CDC says travelers, including US citizens, who have been in Congo in the past 21 days cannot board flights to the United States, and that US citizens arriving from Uganda or South Sudan must enter through Washington Dulles, Atlanta or New York's JFK for screening. The current order restricting entry runs through November 10, according to Erickson Immigration Group, a law firm that tracks it.
Not for Ebola in particular. With no US cases, a low risk rating from the CDC and a virus that does not spread through the air, there is nothing Ebola-specific to buy.
What is worth having is the same thing that helps with any contagious illness: enough at home to stay there for a while if staying home is the safe choice. That means water, food, medicine and cleaning supplies for the days you would rather not go out. Issue 35 shows how to count them.
If someone in your household has been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, the CDC asks them to watch their health for 21 days after leaving. The signs to watch for include a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher or feeling feverish, headache, body aches, rash, weakness, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising. If any appear, the CDC says to separate yourself from others, including not sharing a bathroom, and to call your local health department and tell them about the travel; if you cannot reach them right away, call 911 and describe your symptoms and where you have been.
Staying home while a contagious illness spreads outside is the Pandemic scenario. MyPlann counts how many days your household could avoid going out, from what is actually on your shelves, and tells you what runs out first.
This issue reflects what was known on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Case and death counts are from the CDC's situation summary of October 20; the share who died, the risk ratings and the travel advice are from the WHO's outbreak notice of October 8. The ranking is from a CDC report of September 1, and the West Africa figure from the Monitor. Kenya and Nigeria are from Al Jazeera's reports of October 19 and 20, the France case from Sante publique France, how Ebola spreads from the CDC, and the travel rules from the CDC's page for returning travelers and Erickson Immigration Group. Treatment and vaccine trials are from the WHO and MedicalXpress. Counts change daily; check the CDC for the latest.
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