Thursday 24 September 2026 · Edition of the day

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The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories
1
Average plausibility
75%
How to read the score
It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.
RegionAllGlobalAfricaNorth AmericaSouth AmericaAsia-PacificEuropeMiddle East
TopicAllPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusinessScienceHealth
01HealthAfrica

DR Congo Ebola toll passes 3,700 as health workers strike

WHO says the outbreak remains uncontrolled, with cases rising sharply in North Kivu even as other provinces improve.

WHO said on 24 September 2026 that DR Congo's Ebola outbreak had reached 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, citing government figures. Cases fell 26% in Ituri and 15% in Haut-Uele from 31 August to 20 September, but rose 73% in North Kivu, where a health workers' strike is hampering the response.

What holds up

  • ✓WHO officials confirmed the totals and the diverging provincial trends.
  • ✓A strike and insecurity were cited as constraints in North Kivu.

What doesn't yet

  • ?That the outbreak will surpass the 2014–16 West Africa epidemic is a projection.
  • ?The share of deaths in communities versus treatment centers rests on partial surveillance.

Ask before you share

  • →What is being done to end the health workers' strike?
  • →Why has North Kivu diverged so sharply from other provinces?
  • →Is international funding enough to reverse the trend?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]NBC News / AP · Published 24 Sept 2026 · nbcnews.com
  2. [2]UN News · Published 23 Sept 2026 · news.un.org