More than 2,500 people have now died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, which is spreading exponentially in an area larger than France, senior United Nations Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis said on Friday (August 21).

"In the last three months, 2,500 people have died and half of those in the last 20 days," Harneis said from a video call from the north-eastern Congolese city of Bunia.

He also called for more aid, saying an existing pool of funds is set to run out within weeks.

Aid workers there were coming under attack by locals angered and terrified by the outbreak, and were themselves falling sick and dying from the disease, he added.

Congo's 17th Ebola epidemic became the biggest in the country's history in terms of number of cases in late July, surpassing the previous worst outbreak in 2018 to 2020.

It is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Some 160 healthcare workers have fallen ill with Ebola, and 43 of them have died, Harneis said, adding that attacks on workers, ambulances and health care facilities were also complicating the response

Aid cuts in recent years have reduced the capacity of humanitarian organisations, he added, while there have also been problems in paying people involved in tackling the outbreak.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Ebola outbreak in Congo spreading exponentially, says UN coordinator

VIDEO SHOWS: UNITED NATIONS EBOLA COORDINATOR GIVING UPDATE ON EBOLA OUTBREAK IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO / ARCHIVE RELATED TO OUTBREAK

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (AUGUST 21, 2026) (UNTV - Access all)

1. U.N. SPOKESPERSON STARTING PRESS BRIEFING

2. SPOKESPERSON INVITING QUESTION FROM JOURNALIST, U.N.’S SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR EBOLA, JULIEN HARNEIS ON SCREEN

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (AUGUST 21, 2026) (UNTV - Access all)

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N.’S SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR EBOLA, JULIEN HARNEIS, SAYING:

“The Ebola outbreak is growing exponentially. In the last three months, 2,500 people have died and half of those in the last 20 days. The epidemic is spreading to an area that is bigger than France, and the outbreak is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response, and all of this is happening in an area which has had three decades of conflict and is generating huge humanitarian needs."

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - MAY 16, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. PEOPLE LOOKING INTO A MEDICAL VAN BRINGING IN A SICK PERSON

5. WOMEN CRYING

6. FRONT OF HOSPITAL, AMBULANCE AT EMERGENCY ENTRANCE

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (AUGUST 21, 2026) (UNTV - Access all)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N.’S SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR EBOLA, JULIEN HARNEIS, SAYING:

“Why is it so difficult to respond? Well, the operating conditions are brutal. One hundred and sixty health care workers have fallen ill with Ebola, and 43 of them have died. And then, when we do respond, apart from the threat from the virus, healthcare workers and frontline workers have been attacked by youths, ambulances have been burned and stoned, and the health care facilities have been attacked."

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - MAY 16, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

8. VARIOUS OF LAB TECHNICIAN IN LABORATORY ANALYSING SAMPLES

9. MEDICAL STAFF CHECKING PATIENTS

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (AUGUST 21, 2026) (UNTV - Access all)

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N.’S SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR EBOLA, JULIEN HARNEIS, SAYING:

“We are unable to bring in the amount of money that is required to pay the workers, which has led to great unhappiness among frontline workers. And then, aid cuts over the years, particularly the last two years, have reduced the capacity of humanitarian organisations by more than thirty percent. However, we know what must be done to scale up, and we have already started that. We've got five (DRC) government-led integrated operational packages, which are deepening community engagement, strengthening surveillance, particularly along the Congo river, doubling safe and dignified burial teams to over 130 teams, tripling safe care capacity to 3,000 beds, and we also need to fund and implement the humanitarian needs and response programme."

MONGBWALU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - MAY 24, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

11. VARIOUS OF HEALTH WORKERS IN PPE DISINFECTING AREA BEFORE ENTERING HOSPITAL ROOM

12. HEALTH WORKERS PLACING BODY OF CHILD WHO DIED OF EBOLA INTO BODY BAG

13. HEALTH WORKERS PLACING BODY INTO COFFIN

14. HEALTH WORKERS IN PPE EXITING BUILDING WITH COFFIN

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (AUGUST 21, 2026) (UNTV - Access all)

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N.’S SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR EBOLA, JULIEN HARNEIS, SAYING:

“Already $80 million has been invested to kick-start these packages. However, we're only covered for the next weeks, and very soon funding will run out. So we need to scale up, we need to have far greater investment and far greater support from the international community. And every delay in funding and implementation makes this epidemic more deadly, more difficult to stop, and more expensive. So we need that international support immediately."

BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ARCHIVE - MAY 26, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

16. RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS CARRYING COFFIN TOWARD GRAVE

17. VARIOUS OF RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS PUTTING COFFIN INSIDE GRAVE

18. PASTOR PRAYING