Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola Outbreak Situation Report #1
- Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Highlights:
· As of September 6th, there was a total of 32 suspected cases and five cases have been confirmed:
o There are currently 15 fatalities. At least four healthcare workers have died.
o 157 contacts have been listed and 19.1% of contacts have received follow-up.
· Outbreak History and Background:
o The World Health Organization (WHO) was first alerted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health on September 1st.
o The first known case was a pregnant woman who presented at Bulape General Reference Hospital on August 20th with symptoms of high fever, bloody diarrhea, hemorrhage and extreme weakness. She died on August 25th from multiple organ failure.
o On September 4th, following confirmatory laboratory testing, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
o As of September 4th, about 80% of the suspected cases were 15 years and older.
o The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, but typically it is 7–11 days. People are not infectious during the incubation period; they become contagious with early symptoms; therefore, transmission risk begins at the onset of clinical signs and increases with disease severity.
o The average case fatality ratio is 50%.
o This marks the country’s 16th recorded EVD epidemic and the first in this region since 2008.
· National Response:
o A crisis committee was activated at both the local and provincial levels.
o Risk communication and active surveillance activities are ongoing.
o All cases have been isolated, and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures have been implemented.
o Patients are receiving intravenous medication.
o Contact isolation and tracing are continuing.
· Regional and International Response:
o A multidisciplinary team from WHO, Africa CDC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the national Emergency Operational Center and Reference Laboratory has been dispatched to strengthen disease surveillance, treatment, and infection prevention. Supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory equipment, and medicines, are being delivered to the affected area.
o The UN Migration Agency has mobilized a team in the DRC to launch the initial phase of a population mobility mapping exercise in the Kasai region. This preparedness effort will support the identification of major mobility corridors and hubs in affected areas, as well as vulnerability hotspots and gathering places such as churches, markets, and bus stations, where health surveillance, risk communication, and prevention activities are most needed.
o As of September 7th, the DRC Ministry of Health has a stockpile of 2,000 Ebola vaccine doses and is in the process of procuring additional ones in the coming days.
o Between September 7-8, WHO, the Ministry of Health and the Africa CDC began vaccinating frontline responders.
o On September 9th, WHO and MSF have begun setting up a patient and health worker flow to manage movement in the Ebola treatment center in the Bulape health zone.
o The International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies (IFRC) in cooperation with the DRC Red Cross and other partners has begun deploying rapid response teams and volunteers.
· WHO Risk Assessment:
o This outbreak is occurring in a complex epidemiological and humanitarian context. The country is facing several outbreaks, including mpox, cholera, and measles. In addition, the country is experiencing a long-term economic and political crisis.
o The country's resources and capacity to effectively respond to the current outbreak are limited.
o The epicenter of this outbreak is in the proximity of the Tshikapa city, the capital city of the Kasai province, and the Angolan border (approximately 100 to 200 kilometers).
o WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by the current EVD outbreak as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level.
· The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 1 Travel Notice (Practice Usual Precautions).
Sources:
· Disease Outbreak News, Sept 5
· BEACON, Ebola virus disease, Democratic Republic of the Congo
· Democratic Republic of the Congo - Ebola outbreak (DG ECHO, WHO, media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 8 September 2025)
· Red Cross responds as deadly Ebola resurfaces in DRC’s Kasaï Province after 17 years
· IOM Deploys Team to Support National Ebola Response in DRC
· CDC Travel Notice
· Africa CDC Twitter Page
· WHO African Region Twitter Page
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