GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has urged a significant scaling up of the Ebola response within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, health teams are still unable to trace every transmission chain. As of Sept. 1, the latest government data reported 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths in Congo. The outbreak in Bundibugyo now spans 60 health zones across six provinces.
This outbreak marks Congo’s most extensive and deadly Ebola event on record, ranking as the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Ituri remains the epicenter of the crisis, accounting for approximately 85% of cases and 88% of deaths. Tedros emphasized that many fatalities involve individuals not listed as known contacts, indicating that transmission chains are still being overlooked by health teams.
Community deaths and unsafe burial practices continue to pose significant challenges to containment efforts. According to Africa CDC, over 60% of fatalities in the most recent seven-day period occurred within communities. Health officials have also highlighted delays in identifying new infections and transporting patients to treatment centers. The latest government statistics show 1,439 recoveries and a case fatality rate of 48.6%, underscoring the severe impact of the Bundibugyo Ebola strain.
Active Transmission Persists in Eastern Congo
Despite signs of a slight decline in recent weeks, transmission remains active in 51 health zones. Four zones have not reported new cases for over 42 days and have successfully interrupted transmission. An additional five zones have experienced between 21 and 42 days without new infections. Public health officials caution that these reductions are too recent to confirm that the entire outbreak is under control.
The WHO has stepped up efforts by expanding testing, treatment, and field support across the affected regions. Over 330 tonnes of emergency supplies have been delivered, and more than 300 experts have been deployed. Laboratory capacity has been increased from a single national reference lab to a network of 24 facilities situated closer to impacted communities. Testing now reaches about 3,000 tests daily, while treatment and isolation capacity have grown to over 1,300 beds distributed across 49 facilities.
Response Efforts Continue as Outbreak Remains Uncontrolled
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved specific treatments or vaccines. Research teams are engaged in therapeutic trials, while vaccine candidates targeting the Bundibugyo virus are undergoing safety assessments. Authorities remain committed to surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, clinical management, and safe burial practices. Community engagement remains a priority, as delayed detection and incomplete contact follow-up continue to hinder efforts to identify infected individuals early and prevent further spread.
Congo announced the outbreak in Ituri province on May 15 after confirming infections linked to the Bundibugyo virus. Since then, the outbreak has spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé provinces. Tedros emphasized that the response must be expanded until all transmission chains are identified and broken. Authorities continue to focus on rapid case detection, thorough contact follow-up, safe burial practices, laboratory diagnosis, and ensuring access to treatment across the affected regions.