GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has called for an expanded Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amid ongoing transmission in multiple provinces. As of September 1, the government reported a total of 6,250 confirmed cases and 3,039 fatalities. The epidemic has impacted 60 health zones within six provinces. Additionally, authorities have documented 1,439 recoveries, with the case fatality rate remaining at 48.6%.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has emerged as the largest and most lethal Ebola epidemic ever recorded in Congo, ranking as the second-largest outbreak globally after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Ituri province continues to serve as the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for approximately 85% of confirmed cases and 88% of the reported deaths, thereby representing the most severely affected region during this public health crisis.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that health teams have yet to trace every chain of transmission, noting that many of the recent fatalities involved individuals not listed on known contact registers. Ongoing community deaths and unsafe burials further hinder efforts to contain the virus, with Africa CDC reporting that over 60% of deaths in the past week occurred in community settings rather than healthcare facilities.
Health authorities step up Ebola containment efforts
In response, the World Health Organization has scaled up laboratory testing, treatment facilities, and field operations across the affected regions, dispatching more than 330 tonnes of emergency supplies and deploying over 300 experts. Today, 24 laboratories operate closer to the impacted communities compared to the single national reference lab initially involved, and daily testing capacity has increased to around 3,000 tests. Meanwhile, more than 1,300 beds for treatment and isolation are now available across 49 healthcare facilities.
Currently, there is no approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo virus. Researchers are engaged in therapeutic trials, while two vaccine candidates are undergoing safety assessments. Efforts remain focused on contact tracing, testing, providing clinical care, infection prevention measures, and conducting safe burials. Public health officials are also intensifying community outreach because delays in detection can leave infected individuals outside formal monitoring systems, complicating efforts to quickly identify and interrupt transmission chains.
Transmission persists despite a decline in new cases
Although recent weeks have seen a decrease in case counts, transmission remains active in 51 health zones, with four zones reporting no new infections for more than 42 days and having interrupted transmission. An additional five zones have experienced a period of 21 to 42 days without new cases. While the decline is encouraging, public health officials have clarified that it does not yet indicate the outbreak is under control, and surveillance efforts continue intensively across the affected provinces.
The Congo declared the outbreak in Ituri province on May 15 following confirmed cases involving the Bundibugyo virus. The epidemic subsequently spread to North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé, in addition to Ituri. Tedros emphasized that response strategies must expand until health teams can identify and halt every transmission chain. Authorities remain committed to rapid detection, thorough contact follow-up, laboratory diagnostics, safe burial practices, and ensuring treatment access throughout the impacted communities.