Democratic Republic of the Congo & Kenya Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Outbreak Situation Report #21
Global Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) is reported active cases in the DRC and Kenya, below is the breakdown:
· There are 9,186 cases (8,687 confirmed, 498 suspected & 1 probable).
· There are 4,182 deaths (4,181 confirmed & 1 probable).
· A total of 2,278 patients have recovered.
Kenya Highlights:
· On October 6th, the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported an imported case of Ebola:
o The patient was a Kenyan citizen and fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals in the DRC.
o He then traveled by road to Kampala before boarding a Jambo Jet flight 8523 to Nairobi and arrived on October 3rd.
o After arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, he was taken to Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated and assessed. He was later transferred to the hospital’s East Wing Isolation Facility.
o The patient received supportive treatment but unfortunately died on October 6th. Arrangements for a safe and dignified burial are underway in line with Ebola burial protocols.
o The MOH has identified 57 contacts (including family members and health workers):
ü 10 contacts as of October 7th have been placed under quarantine.
ü The Ministry is also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight.
· WHO is working closely with MOH to intensify key control measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
· On October 7th, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has provided MOH with 400 Ebola detection tests, 500 extraction kits, laboratory consumables and protective coveralls.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Highlights:
· The outbreak as of October 7th is currently affecting seven provinces and 64 health zones. Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak with 74.8% of cumulative confirmed cases.
· The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) as of September 23rd reported the following:
o There are 6.1 million people displaced and 3.6 million people returned across the country.
o The humanitarian response as of October 6th is funded at about 52%.
· Security Incidents:
o There has been a total of 343 security incidents affecting humanitarian actors.
o Deteriorating conditions due to security incidents on September 27th have affected the Kigonze site in Bunia (Ituri Province), which is hosting nearly 19,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs):
ü This has fueled additional displacement from this site which threatens epidemiological surveillance and outbreak control efforts.
o New violence in the Djugu territory was reported on September 30th. This violence caused population displacements and affecting humanitarian operations as well as response activities against the outbreak in several health zones of Ituri.
o On September 30th the Ebola Transit Center in the Kigonze camp was intentionally burned down. This act of violence has led to the displacement of 19,000 camp residents.
o The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reported on October 1st that about 2,000 civilians sought protection at the MONUSCO base in Drodro:
ü This was the result of gunfire reported in the surrounding areas.
ü MONUSCO deployed patrols and the civilians later left the base to return to their homes.
o The UN Senior Ebola Coordinator reported on October 5th that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are disrupting the outbreak response in the villages of Mambasa in Ituri.
o On October 5th, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that Ismael Mulindwa who was an ambulance driver with the Uganda Red Cross died from injuries sustained following an attack while he was supporting the outbreak response.
· Doctors without Borders on October 1st reported that one of their staff members tested positive for Ebola and was medically evacuated to the Netherlands to receive treatment.
· As of October 6th, more than 2,200 Red Cross volunteers are mobilized to support the outbreak response.
Sources:
· WHO Ebola outbreak - DRC 2026 Website
· DRCs Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare Twitter Page
· Kenya Ministry of Health Twitter Page
· Africa CDC Twitter Page
· WHO African Region Twitter Page
· UN Senior Coordinator Twitter Page
· OCHA DRC Twitter Page
· UN Senior Ebola Coordinator Twitter Page
· UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Twitter Page
Resources:
CDC Health Advisory: Ebola Disease Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda
ECDC, Ebola disease
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