GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has urged a significant broadening of the Ebola containment efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, health teams still have not fully traced every chain of transmission. As of September 1, the government’s latest data reports 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 fatalities. The ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak now spans 60 health zones across six different provinces.
This outbreak marks Congo’s largest and most lethal Ebola event to date. It ranks as the second-largest Ebola outbreak worldwide, surpassed only by the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Ituri remains the epicenter of this crisis, contributing approximately 85% of the cases and 88% of the deaths. Tedros highlighted that many fatalities are among individuals not listed as known contacts, which indicates health teams are still missing key transmission chains.
Challenges such as community deaths and unsafe burials continue to hinder efforts to contain the virus. Africa CDC reports that over 60% of deaths in the past week occurred within communities. Health officials have also identified delays in the detection of new infections and in mobilizing patients to treatment centers. The latest government figures show 1,439 recoveries and a case fatality rate of 48.6%, underscoring the devastating impact of the Bundibugyo virus.
Transmission persists in eastern Congo despite some improvements
Active transmission continues in 51 health zones, despite recent indications of declining case numbers. Four zones have reported no new cases for over 42 days and have effectively halted transmission. An additional five zones have experienced between 21 and 42 days without new infections. However, health officials warn that the recent decline is too early to confidently declare the outbreak under control at the national level.
In response, the WHO has expanded its testing, treatment, and field support efforts across the affected regions. It has delivered more than 330 tonnes of emergency supplies and dispatched over 300 experts to assist. Laboratory capacity has grown from a single national reference laboratory to a network of 24 facilities located nearer to impacted communities. Currently, testing capacity reaches approximately 3,000 tests daily, with treatment and isolation beds available in more than 1,300 spots across 49 facilities.
Ongoing health measures as the outbreak continues
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which presently has no approved specific treatment or vaccine. Research efforts include clinical trials of therapies and safety evaluations of vaccine candidates aimed at the Bundibugyo virus. Authorities persist with surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, clinical management, and safe burial practices. Community engagement remains vital because delays in detection and incomplete contact tracing have hampered efforts to identify infected individuals before further transmission occurs.
Congo officially declared the outbreak in Ituri province on May 15 following confirmation of infections linked to the Bundibugyo strain. Since then, the virus has spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé provinces. Tedros emphasized that the response must intensify until health teams can identify and break every transmission chain. Authorities continue prioritizing rapid detection, thorough contact follow-up, safe burial procedures, laboratory diagnosis, and ensuring treatment access across affected communities.
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