Amid ongoing efforts, severe shortages of personnel and funding are causing significant delays in controlling the escalating Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s outbreak. The outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo virus strain, has spread across six provinces, with over 6,000 cases and 3,175 deaths reported. The World Health Organization is urging global donors to provide urgent financial aid needed to mobilize frontline health teams and boost isolation infrastructure in distant eastern regions.

Health teams in Congo continue Ebola testing, contact tracing and treatment. In the region of Bundibugyo, the Ebola outbreak has become the largest and most lethal in Congo’s history, ranking as the second-largest Ebola epidemic globally after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. Ituri province continues to be the primary epicenter, accounting for approximately 85% of confirmed cases and 88% of reported deaths, thus representing the most severely affected area during this health crisis. According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, health teams have yet to trace every transmission pathway. Many recent fatalities involved individuals who did not appear on known contact lists. The persistence of community deaths and unsafe burials further hampers containment efforts. The Africa CDC reported that over 60% of deaths in the past week occurred in community settings rather than health facilities. Response efforts are being scaled up by health authorities Across affected zones, the World Health Organization has increased laboratory testing, treatment capacity, and operational deployment. Over 330 tonnes of emergency supplies have been delivered by WHO, along with more than 300 experts dispatched to support response initiatives. Currently, there are 24 laboratories closer to impacted communities—compared to only one national reference lab at the start of the response. Daily testing capacity has now reached roughly 3,000 tests, while treatment and isolation beds across 49 facilities total more than 1,300. The Bundibugyo virus currently has no approved vaccine

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began administering Ebola vaccinations in Kisangani on Thursday, launching a targeted campaign in the capital of Tshopo Province to protect frontline responders. The initiative prioritizes healthcare workers, emergency response teams, and individuals with direct contact with confirmed patients as the country confronts its deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak.

This initiative involves open-platform testing kits that laboratories can integrate with their current systems. The procurement process received support from the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Shipments are scheduled to commence in August, as health teams respond to a significant outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and impacting neighboring regions. PCR testing support strengthens the international response to Ebola in DR Congo. By August, the World Health Organization will facilitate the distribution of these tests through its Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics located in Dubai. WHO will oversee the distribution to various sites involved in the Ebola response. PCR testing enables laboratories to verify infections and enhance surveillance efforts around known cases. Confirmed test results inform patient treatment, isolation procedures, and contact tracing efforts. This latest supply package expands laboratory capabilities at a critical time when authorities continue to track the virus’s transmission across multiple provinces and health zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.