GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has called for an expanded Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid ongoing transmission in multiple provinces. By September 1, the government reported a total of 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 fatalities. The outbreak has impacted 60 health zones across six provinces. Authorities have also documented 1,439 recoveries, with a case fatality rate of 48.6%.
Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has become its largest and most lethal to date. It ranks as the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, surpassed only by the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Ituri province remains the primary hub of transmission, accounting for roughly 85% of confirmed cases and 88% of reported deaths, making it the most severely affected region during this health crisis.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that health teams have yet to trace all chains of transmission. Many recent fatalities involved individuals not on known contact lists. The presence of community deaths and unsafe burials continues to hinder efforts to contain the virus. According to Africa CDC, over 60% of fatalities in the past week occurred in communities rather than healthcare facilities.
Health agencies step up Ebola containment measures
The World Health Organization has increased laboratory testing, treatment capacity, and field operations in affected regions. Over 330 tonnes of emergency supplies have been shipped, and more than 300 experts have been deployed. Now, 24 laboratories operate closer to impacted communities, compared to just one national reference lab earlier in the response. Daily testing has increased to approximately 3,000 tests, and treatment and isolation beds now total over 1,300 across 49 facilities.
Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo virus. Researchers are conducting therapeutic studies, while two vaccine candidates are in safety trials. Teams are actively engaged in contact tracing, testing, providing clinical care, infection control, and safe burials. Authorities are also intensifying community engagement efforts, recognizing that delays in detection may leave infected individuals outside formal monitoring systems, complicating the identification of transmission chains.
Transmission persists even with declining case numbers
Active transmission continues in 51 health zones, although recent weeks have seen a decrease in case counts. Four zones have reported no new infections for over 42 days, effectively interrupting transmission there. An additional five zones have remained without new cases for between 21 and 42 days. Public health officials have emphasized that the recent drop in cases does not mean the outbreak is under control, as surveillance remains ongoing across the affected provinces.
Congo first declared the outbreak in Ituri province on May 15 after confirming infections linked to the Bundibugyo virus. The epidemic later spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé, in addition to Ituri. Tedros emphasized that the response must expand until every chain of transmission is identified and halted. Authorities continue focusing on rapid detection, contact follow-up, laboratory diagnosis, safe burials, and ensuring treatment access in communities impacted by Ebola.