GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has urged a significant scaling up of efforts against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that health teams have yet to trace all chains of transmission. As of Sept. 1, government data show Congo has documented 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths. The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak now spans 60 health zones across six provinces.
This outbreak has become Congo’s most extensive and deadliest Ebola event on record and ranks as the second-largest globally, following the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Ituri remains at the heart of the crisis, responsible for roughly 85% of cases and 88% of fatalities. Tedros noted that many deaths involve individuals who were not registered as known contacts, indicating that transmission chains are still being missed by health teams.
Persistent challenges include community deaths and unsafe burials, which continue to hinder containment efforts. According to Africa CDC, over 60% of deaths during the most recent week occurred in communities. Delays in identifying infections and admitting patients to treatment centers have also been reported by health officials. The latest government figures for Congo show 1,439 recoveries with a case fatality rate of 48.6%, underscoring the severity of the Bundibugyo strain.
Active transmission persists in eastern Congo
Even as recent weeks have shown some decline in case numbers, transmission continues in 51 health zones. Authorities have reported that four zones have had no new cases for more than 42 days and have halted transmission, while five others have experienced no new cases for between 21 and 42 days. Public health officials have cautioned that this decline is still too recent to confirm that the entire Ebola outbreak is under control.
In response, the World Health Organization has increased testing, treatment, and field support across the affected regions. More than 330 tonnes of emergency supplies have been dispatched, and over 300 experts deployed. Laboratory capacity has expanded from a single national reference lab to a network of 24 laboratories located near affected communities. Testing capabilities now reach approximately 3,000 tests daily, while treatment and isolation facilities have grown to over 1,300 beds in 49 locations.
Response efforts intensify amid ongoing outbreak
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo Ebola species, which presently lacks an approved specific treatment or vaccine. While therapeutic trials are underway, vaccine candidates targeted at the Bundibugyo virus are undergoing safety evaluations. Health authorities maintain surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, clinical care, and safe burial operations. Community engagement remains a key part of the response, as delayed detection and incomplete contact follow-up have complicated efforts to identify infected individuals before further transmission occurs.
Congo announced the outbreak in Ituri province on May 15 after confirming infections linked to the Bundibugyo virus. Since then, the virus has spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé provinces. Tedros emphasized that the response must expand until every transmission chain is identified and interrupted. The focus remains on rapid detection, contact follow-up, safe burials, laboratory diagnosis, and ensuring treatment access in affected communities.