GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization has urged a significant scaling-up of the Ebola response as the number of confirmed cases reaches 6,250. According to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, health teams still have not mapped every chain of transmission. As of Sept. 1, the government’s latest figures show Congo has recorded 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 fatalities. The outbreak in Bundibugyo now spans 60 health zones across six provinces.
This outbreak is the largest and most lethal Ebola event in Congo’s history. It also ranks as the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide, following the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Ituri remains at the heart of the crisis, accounting for about 85% of cases and 88% of deaths. Tedros highlighted that many fatalities involve individuals not listed as known contacts, indicating that transmission chains continue to be missed by health teams.
Persistent community deaths and unsafe burial practices are significant challenges to controlling the outbreak. According to Africa CDC, over 60% of the deaths in the latest seven-day period happened in community settings. Additionally, health officials have reported delays in identifying new infections and transporting patients to treatment centers. The latest government data from Congo shows 1,439 recoveries and a case fatality rate of 48.6%, underscoring the severity of the Bundibugyo strain.
Active Transmission Continues in Eastern Congo
Transmission remains ongoing in 51 health zones, even as authorities have noted some signs of a reduction in new cases in recent weeks. Four zones have reported no new infections for over 42 days and have successfully halted transmission. An additional five zones have not recorded new cases for between 21 and 42 days. However, health officials caution that these declines are too recent to declare the outbreak under control nationwide.
The WHO has enhanced testing, treatment, and field operations across affected regions. More than 330 tonnes of emergency supplies have been dispatched, and over 300 experts have been deployed. Laboratory capacity has increased from a single national reference lab to a network of 24 laboratories closer to affected communities. Testing now averages around 3,000 daily tests, with treatment and isolation facilities expanding to over 1,300 beds in 49 locations.
Response Efforts Grow as Outbreak Continues
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which currently lacks an approved specific treatment or vaccine. Ongoing research includes therapeutic trials, while vaccine candidates targeting the Bundibugyo virus are under safety evaluation. Health authorities continue surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, clinical management, and safe burial practices. Community engagement remains vital because delays in detection and incomplete contact follow-up have hampered 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 outbreak has spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé provinces. Tedros emphasized that the response must be intensified until every transmission chain is identified and broken. Focus remains on rapid detection, effective contact follow-up, safe burials, laboratory diagnostics, and ensuring access to treatment across all affected communities.