Royal Free Hospital in London, November 2020. Archive view of the location; does not show the 2026 evacuation. beareye2010, CC0. — beareye2010 / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) ; 16 novembre 2020 ; version réduite.
Where things stand
On 5 November 2026, British authorities confirm the arrival in London of a doctor infected in DR Congo and treatment at the Royal Free Hospital. The transfer has now taken place following the previously reported evacuation announcement.
Ebola: doctor evacuated from DR Congo receives care in London
A British doctor infected with Ebola while helping the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo arrived in the UK on 5 November 2026. The patient is receiving care in a specialist isolation unit at London’s Royal Free Hospital, the UK government confirms.
Royal Free Hospital in London, November 2020. Archive view of the location; does not show the 2026 evacuation. beareye2010, CC0. — beareye2010 / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) ; 16 novembre 2020 ; version réduite.
The transfer was organised with Congolese authorities and international health partners, according to the UK health department. Reuters also reports the patient’s arrival and treatment.
The development establishes completion of the previously announced evacuation. It is neither an announcement of recovery nor a new assessment of DR Congo’s outbreak. British authorities say strict infection-prevention procedures cover transport and care.
Ebola: UK medical evacuation planned for British healthcare worker
A British healthcare worker infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is to be medically evacuated to the UK for specialist care, Reuters reported on 4 November 2026, citing an official document.
Scientific illustration from 2017; depicts neither the patient nor a sample from this case. NIAID, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/; resized. — NIAID / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ ; 22 septembre 2017 ; taille réduite.
The patient is described as stable. Arrival is expected on 4 or 5 November, followed by transfer in a specialist ambulance to a high-consequence infectious disease unit. These details describe a planned transfer; the sources consulted do not establish that it has been completed.
The British government confirms that a citizen in the DRC has tested positive and says established procedures have been activated. It assesses the risk to the UK public as low. The patient’s identity and receiving hospital are not publicly identified in this information.
DR Congo Ebola: WHO recommends two more vaccine candidates for Tumaini trial
WHO announced on 4 November 2026 that its expert groups recommend adding two vaccine candidates to the Tumaini trial in DR Congo. Their inclusion remains subject to national approvals.
Archive micrograph of an Ebola virion; does not show vaccines or a 2026 sample. CDC / Cynthia Goldsmith, public domain. — CDC / Cynthia Goldsmith — domaine public, PHIL #10816 — sans modification
The products are ChAdOx1 from Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna’s mRNA-1469. They target Bundibugyo virus, responsible for the current outbreak.
The trial is led by the Congolese National Institute of Biomedical Research. It recruits contacts of patients through a ring vaccination strategy. The announcement concerns further clinical evaluation; it does not yet demonstrate the two products’ effectiveness against this outbreak.
Ebola: Africa CDC reports cumulative DRC death toll of 5,372
Africa CDC shared with AFP on 2 November 2026 a cumulative Ebola death toll of 5,372 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, out of 5,376 deaths across countries affected by the outbreak. These are cumulative figures, not deaths in the last 24 hours.
CDC micrograph of an Ebola virion. Archive illustration; not a 2026 sample or identification of its strain. Cynthia Goldsmith, public domain. — CDC / Cynthia Goldsmith — domaine public, PHIL #10816 — sans modification
Africanews, with AP, reports a Congolese bulletin covering 30 October: 10,414 confirmed cases and 5,372 deaths. Authorities attribute the rise in reported deaths to retrospective data adjustment rather than a sudden single-day surge.
The reference date of the figures and the date they were communicated must therefore be distinguished. The totals do not date every death or, on their own, measure current transmission.
DR Congo: reported ministry Ebola tally passes 5,000 deaths
The Congolese health authorities’ tally reported on 31 October 2026 reaches 5,026 deaths among 10,351 cases since the Ebola outbreak began.
Archival thematic illustration showing neither 2026 patients nor the attacked centre. CDC / F. A. Murphy, public domain. — CDC / Dr. Frederick A. Murphy — domaine public — micrographie de 1976, redimensionnement uniquement
These are cumulative figures since mid-May, not infections and deaths from the past 24 hours.
The published data does not provide each person’s infection or death date. Its release updates the tally but does not by itself measure the current speed of transmission.
An attack targeted Bafwasende’s Ebola treatment centre in Tshopo early on 31 October 2026, according to medical accounts gathered by Congolese media.
Archival thematic illustration showing neither 2026 patients nor the attacked centre. CDC / F. A. Murphy, public domain. — CDC / Dr. Frederick A. Murphy — domaine public — micrographie de 1976, redimensionnement uniquement
Chief medical officer Marcel Likilo reports two rooms burned before guards intervened. Kis24 also reports attempted arson and stone throwing, citing a treating doctor.
Health workers are requesting stronger protection. Accounts differ on the time and detailed damage; the attackers have not been identified.
