ZAWYA: Pressure mounts on DR Congo to contain Ebola outbreak — TradingView News

On Sep 7, 2026

Responders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are under pressure to contain mounting deaths from an Ebola outbreak that has now killed more than 3,000 people in three months, surpassing figures recorded during the same period in the country’s previous 16 outbreaks.

The current outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a different variant from the better-known Zaire and Sudan strains, both of which have vaccines.

In the DRC, the health response continues to face difficulties in accessing certain areas amid persistent mistrust among sections of local communities.

As of August 31, the DRC had recorded 6,186 confirmed cases, including 3,007 deaths and 1,409 recoveries, according to a report by the National Institute of Public Health. The case fatality rate therefore stands at 48.6 percent. During the previous 24-hour reporting period, 86 new cases were confirmed and 57 deaths recorded.

Of those deaths, 43 occurred within communities, compared with 14 in Ebola treatment centres. This is a particularly worrying indicator for health teams, as it suggests that many patients are still seeking treatment too late or are not reaching specialised health facilities.

The worsening epidemic comes at the same time as the start of the 2026-27 school year. Millions of Congolese pupils have been called back to school, but the situation is far from uniform across the country.“Wherever conditions allow, schools must reopen,” said State Minister for National Education and New Citizenship Raïssa Malu.

The disease has now spread to six provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, South Kivu and Bas-Uélé. A total of 60 health zones have been affected.

Ituri remains the epicentre of the health crisis. The province has recorded 5,065 confirmed cases and 2,305 deaths, accounting for more than 80 percent of all infections reported across the country.

Health authorities have nevertheless pointed to a few encouraging signs.“The absence of any newly affected health zone over the past 24 hours is an encouraging sign of geographical stabilisation that must be consolidated,” the National Institute of Public Health said.

Of the province’s 36 health zones, 28 have already been affected. Several treatment facilities are currently under heavy pressure, particularly in Bambu, Nizi, Kigonze and Lolwa.

North Kivu is the second major hotspot. With 868 confirmed cases and 589 deaths, the province has recorded a particularly high fatality rate of nearly 68 per cent.

Hospital capacity has also been exceeded. Treatment and isolation centres were accommodating 283 patients despite having capacity for only 220 beds, representing an occupancy rate of more than 128 per cent.

The health zones of Katwa, Butembo and Beni remain among the main centres of transmission. Together, they recorded 26 new cases in a single day.

However, this geographical stabilisation does not necessarily mean the epidemic is under control. Transmission remains active in areas already affected, while pressure on health facilities remains considerable.

The monitoring of people who have come into contact with Ebola patients has reached 88 per cent. A total of 22,499 contacts were successfully followed up out of 25,560 identified.

The INSP said this level exceeds the expected operational threshold and reflects the increased mobilisation of surveillance teams.“The strong increase in reported alerts reflects the heightened vigilance of communities and health teams,” the institute said. However, significant challenges remain.

In Ituri, health teams recorded 20 refusals to enter isolation. In addition, nine bodies could not be sampled because of resistance from local communities.

These incidents highlight a reality observed during previous Ebola outbreaks in the DRC: the fight against the virus is not taking place only in treatment centres and laboratories. It also depends on the level of trust communities place in health authorities and response teams.“The response relies on the involvement of health authorities, religious and community leaders, traditional healers, schools, partners and local teams,” the institute said.

The aim is to counter rumours, encourage the prompt reporting of suspected cases and persuade communities to accept isolation and medical treatment.

The World Health Organization has also placed strong emphasis on this aspect. WHO DRC has called for “stronger collaboration” in community surveillance, early detection and the rapid reporting of alerts.

For health authorities, the involvement of local actors is now essential.“The engagement of frontline community actors is a vital pillar in protecting communities and stopping the Ebola virus,” WHO DRC said.

As the epidemic continues to spread, scientific research is accelerating efforts to develop a vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain.

Unlike the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, for which a vaccine has already been approved, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo. This represents a major challenge for Congolese health authorities.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced funding of up to $16.5 million for the Egyptian pharmaceutical group Minapharm.

The aim is to advance a Bundibugyo vaccine candidate to its first human clinical trial, which is expected to take place in Africa.

It is the fifth vaccine project specifically targeting Bundibugyo to receive support from CEPI.

The vaccine candidate, developed with the German company ProBioGen, uses a highly weakened virus that cannot replicate in human cells as a vector to present Bundibugyo virus proteins to the immune system.

The technology has yet to prove its effectiveness, but it is among the key approaches in the global race to develop protection against the strain responsible for the current epidemic.

Attention is now turning to clinical trials, which could begin in the coming months.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, 2 September, that trials could begin in the DRC as early as October or November.

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