GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has urged a significant scaling-up of efforts to combat Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, health teams have yet to trace all transmission pathways. As of Sept. 1, Congo reported 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 fatalities. The ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak now spans 60 health zones across six provinces.
This marks Congo’s most extensive and deadliest Ebola epidemic to date, ranking as the second-largest worldwide after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for approximately 85% of cases and 88% of deaths. Tedros highlighted that many fatalities involve individuals not listed as known contacts, underscoring that health teams continue to miss some chains of transmission.
Hindrances such as community deaths and unsafe burials are major challenges to containing the outbreak. Africa CDC reports that over 60% of fatalities in the past week occurred within communities. Delays in identifying infections and admitting patients to treatment centers have also been observed. Government data shows 1,439 recoveries and a case fatality rate of 48.6%, illustrating the severe impact of the Bundibugyo strain.
Active Transmission Continues in Eastern Congo
Transmission persists in 51 health zones despite recent indications of declining case numbers. Four zones have had no new cases for over 42 days, effectively halting transmission there, while five others have remained free of new cases for 21 to 42 days. Authorities caution that these declines are too recent to declare the outbreak under control nationwide.
In response, the WHO has ramped up testing, treatment, and field support across affected regions. Over 330 tonnes of emergency supplies have been delivered, and more than 300 experts have been deployed. Laboratory capacity has expanded from a single national reference lab to a network of 24 labs near impacted communities. Daily testing capacity now reaches around 3,000, with treatment and isolation beds increased to over 1,300 across 49 facilities.
Efforts Intensify as Outbreak Continues
This outbreak involves the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which currently lacks approved specific treatments or vaccines. Ongoing clinical trials are testing therapeutics, while vaccine candidates for Bundibugyo are in safety assessments. Authorities maintain surveillance, conduct contact tracing, laboratory testing, clinical care, and safe burial practices. Community engagement remains vital as delayed detection and incomplete contact follow-up hinder efforts to identify and isolate 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 expand until every transmission chain is identified and broken. The focus remains on rapid detection, contact follow-up, safe burials, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment access in affected communities.