GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – As of September 1, the World Health Organization has called for an intensified Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid ongoing transmission across multiple regions. The latest government data indicates that the outbreak has resulted in 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 deaths. The disease has impacted 60 health zones within six provinces. Additionally, authorities have recorded 1,439 recoveries, with the case fatality rate at 48.6%.
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 or specific therapeutic options. Researchers are conducting treatment studies, and two vaccine candidates are presently undergoing safety trials. Efforts continue in contact tracing, testing, clinical management, infection control, and safe burials. Efforts to increase community engagement are also underway, as delays in detection can leave infected individuals outside formal monitoring systems, complicating the identification of transmission chains.
Transmission persists despite recent decreases in case numbers
While active transmission continues in 51 health zones, authorities have observed a decline in new cases over recent weeks. Four zones have not reported new infections for more than 42 days and have interrupted transmission. Additionally, five zones have experienced no new cases for between 21 and 42 days. Public health officials caution that these reductions do not yet indicate that the outbreak is under control, but surveillance remains ongoing across affected provinces.
The outbreak was first declared in Ituri province on May 15 after authorities confirmed infections involving the Bundibugyo virus. Subsequently, the epidemic spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé, alongside Ituri. Tedros emphasized that response efforts must expand until every chain of transmission is identified and halted. Authorities continue to prioritize rapid detection, contact follow-up, laboratory diagnosis, safe burial practices, and treatment access across communities impacted by Ebola.