KINSHASA - The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in south-central Kasai province after 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, were reported.

The outbreak began with a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was hospitalised on Aug 20 in the Bulape health zone and died five days later, according to Congo’s public health ministry.

Additional cases were reported in the Bulape and Mweka health zones, with patients presenting symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and haemorrhage.

Samples tested this week at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa identified the strain as Ebola Zaire, the World Health Organization said on Sept 4 .

Health services in Congo have been under strain in 2025 as war and

the US government’s decision to cut funding

hampered efforts to contain mpox, cholera and measles.

Experts warned the pullback from outbreak response will complicate efforts to stop Ebola.

“Global health is perpetually underfunded, and outbreak response is always run on a shoestring,” said Dr Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has long worked in Congo.

“Ebola containment has always been a global effort. Without US engagement, the burden will fall on fewer partners and that could slow the response and cost lives.”

In past outbreaks, the US provided money and technical expertise through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Usaid, training Congolese epidemiologists, bolstering laboratory capacity, and supporting vaccines and therapies.

That’s now largely absent, she said.

Rapid response

At the same time, Congo’s own teams have shown strength by sequencing the virus and triggering the response within days, Dr Rimoin said.

“It’s heartening to see the excellence with which the DRC team has moved so rapidly to get the critical data out there,” she said.

The WHO said a national rapid response team, joined by its experts, has been deployed to Kasai with two tons of protective gear, medical supplies and mobile lab equipment.

The remote Bulape area takes at least a day to reach by road from the provincial capital Tshikapa and has limited air links.

“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” said Professor Mohamed Janabi, WHO’s regional director for Africa.

“Banking on the country’s long-standing expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks, we’re working closely with the health authorities to quickly scale up key response measures to end the outbreak as soon as possible.”

Ebola spreads through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people and animals and is contagious once patients develop symptoms, making protective equipment and infection control critical for health workers. 

Cases are likely to increase as transmission is ongoing, according to WHO.

Congo has stockpiles of treatments and about 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, which will be deployed to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.

The country’s last outbreak in 2022 was controlled within three months. Kasai province previously reported Ebola cases in 2007 and 2008, and Congo has recorded 15 outbreaks since the disease was first identified in 1976.

“This outbreak is really a reminder of the ongoing vulnerability of communities across Africa,” Dr Patrick Otim, a WHO Africa health emergency officer told reporters on Sept 4 . 

Even with a case fatality rate of almost 64 per cent “we want to stress that there is no need to panic,” Dr Otim said. The country has “built extensive capacity and expertise in health emergency responses.” BLOOMBERG

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