Congo’s Ebola outbreak has recorded more than 4,000 deaths, authorities said, as they struggle to contain the spread of the virus.

The latest figures released by the Health Ministry on Thursday (October 1, 2026) showed that 4,018 people have died, making up nearly half of the 8,300 confirmed cases, in what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.

Congo announced an outbreak on May 15, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no known treatment or vaccine.

Some health workers gathered in Bunia, the capital of northeastern Ituri province, the heart of the outbreak. They were demanding payment for wages owed but were quickly dispersed by officials. The protesting workers included surveillance team members, who identify people exposed to infected patients. They waved placards saying, “No money, no data!” and “No payment for months.”

Front-line workers have gone on strike several times since the outbreak began, further hampering efforts to contain the disease.

A senior UN official said that an Ebola-hit camp housing a transit centre for infected patients was burned by soldiers earlier this week as they were looking for weapons in Kigonze, on the outskirts of Bunia, forcing 19,000 people in the camp to flee.

“The enormous challenge of halting the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just became even harder after a key transit centre for patients requiring treatment burned down in Ituri province,” the United Nations said.

Julien Harneis, the UN senior Ebola coordinator, said creating Ebola transit and treatment centres has been a struggle, requiring money and staff, all of which are in short supply.

“When we lose a centre, that means we lose capacity, we lose investment, and we have to start again. And above all, it means that people do not get access to the care that they really need,” Harneis said.

Infected aid worker evacuated to Netherlands

An aid worker with Médecins Sans Frontieres, known in English as Doctors Without Borders, was infected with Ebola while working in Congo, the group said in a statement.

The worker arrived late Thursday night after being flown to the Netherlands on a special medical flight and was transferred to a high-level isolation unit, the Leiden University Medical Centre said in a statement.

“The human cost of this crisis is unprecedented in the DRC, with communities facing the largest Ebola disease outbreak ever recorded in the country,” MSF said.

More than 50 health workers have died after contracting the virus.

Insecurity and community resistance are hampering containment efforts

The World Health Organisation has recently raised the alarm about the virus’ rapid spread into new health zones, stretching limited resources.

Africa CDC said in its latest news conference that the number of newly confirmed cases is falling, but that could be attributed to insecurity and challenges in getting communities to cooperate in some of the hot spots. While the spread of the disease has slowed down in some areas, it has accelerated in others, creating what experts see as a delicate situation.

Confirmed cases have slowed in recent weeks, from around 850 cases and 470 deaths a week in mid-July to an average of 490 cases and 230 deaths in September. Overall, the outbreak also saw a similar jump of 33 per cent in both confirmed cases and deaths through September.

A Congolese politician was attacked and beaten to death earlier this week for defending government measures in dealing with the outbreak, highlighting tensions that have stretched both the health community and local resources.

The attack on Marie-Célestin Karondwa, a local official with Congo’s ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, took place on Sunday at his home in Butembo, an Ebola hot spot in eastern North Kivu province. His house was set on fire afterwards, and he died at a hospital from his injuries.

Widespread mistrust of health workers and the authorities has hampered efforts to slow the Central African nation’s 17th Ebola outbreak.

Authorities last month launched a village-centred approach, but those efforts face resistance from residents who dismiss Ebola as a hoax. There is also deep distrust in the country’s government for reasons ranging from how it’s managed past Ebola outbreaks to chronic corruption.

Published – October 02, 2026 06:19 pm IST

A fire broke out on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Zila Parishad office in the South 24 Parganas division near Alipore court, in Kolkata on June 10, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Centre has approved a 4% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR), bringing the total DA to 50% of the basic salary for central government employees and pensioners. This decision also includes a 25% increase in transport, deputation, and canteen allowances.

The move, announced by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in a press conference, is expected to benefit 49.18 lakh central government employees and 67.95 lakh pensioners. Considering both DA and DR and the increase in other allowances, it’s going to cost the exchequer an estimated Rs 15,000 crore for January and February in the fiscal year 2024, reported The Hindu.

As part of the revision, various allowances such as Housing Rent Allowances (HRA), Children’s Education and Transport Allowances, and gratuities will see an increase based on the formula recommended by the 7th Pay Commission. Employees and pensioners will receive arrears for January and February, along with the revised rates for March.

The revision in DA and DR, based on the Consumer Price Index – Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), occurs twice a year. The first revision, effective from January 1, is usually announced just before Holi, with the second revision, effective from July 1, decided before Durga Puja.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal did not confirm whether the DA and DR reaching 50% would trigger a merger into the basic salary, but he acknowledged that other allowances would increase with this revision. Similar increases for state government employees are anticipated following this announcement.

For HRA, the country is divided into three categories – X, Y, and Z. The revised rates for X, Y, and Z categories are now 30%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. For instance, with a minimum basic salary of Rs 18,000, the new HRA will be Rs 5,400, Rs 3,600, and Rs 1,800, respectively.

The increase in DA will also impact transport allowances, daily allowances, hostel subsidies for children’s education, and retirement gratuity. The DA reaching 50% will also benefit Chairpersons and Members of select regulatory bodies, increasing their monthly remuneration by 25%. 

How is DA calculated?

DA is calculated using the All-India Consumer Price Index (AICPI), which tells us how the prices of everyday items change over time.

Here’s how it works:

Check the AICPI: Look at how much the prices have gone up or down, based on what people pay for groceries and services. The Labour Ministry provides this number.

Pick a Time Period: Depending on whether you work for the Central government or the Central public sector, choose a specific time, like the average prices over the last 12 months for government employees or the last three months for public sector employees.

Do the Math: Plug the AICPI into a formula to calculate how much extra money you should get. 

DA calculation for central government employees

DA% = ((Average of AICPI (Base Year – 2001=100) for the past 12 months -115.76)/115.76) *100

For central public sector employees

DA% = ((Average of AICPI (Base Year – 2001=100) for the past 3 months -126.33)/126.33) *100

The percentage you get is the extra amount added to your salary to help you keep up with the higher costs of things around you.