BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization says Congo’s Ebola outbreak can still be contained within three months if response teams receive enough resources. The latest official report recorded 5,021 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths through Aug. 16. Cases now span 55 health zones across six provinces, while the case fatality ratio has reached 47.4%. The toll makes this the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. It is also the second-largest Ebola epidemic recorded globally.
Congo Ebola response expands as health teams work to curb Bundibugyo transmission. (AI-generated image)
WHO incident manager Thierno Baldé said the three-month timeline depends on securing the resources required for the response. The agency has received about $69.3 million of the $115 million it says it needs, or roughly 60%. Teams added more than 400 treatment beds during the past two weeks. They also deployed 100 additional epidemiologists and more than 500 community health workers for surveillance and contact tracing. The response requires vehicles, ambulances, medical supplies and personnel across a growing affected area.
Transmission has reached Bas-Uélé, making it the sixth affected province. As of Aug. 12, Ituri accounted for 85% of confirmed cases and 79% of reported deaths nationwide. Officials said 70% to 80% of new cases had no known link to existing patients. Health teams are expanding surveillance to identify cases faster and transfer patients into treatment centers. Bas-Uélé’s first confirmed case had traveled from Haut-Uélé before symptoms began on Aug. 4.
Response expands across affected provinces
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare declared the outbreak on May 15. Laboratory testing in Kinshasa confirmed Bundibugyo virus, a rarer Ebola species first identified in western Uganda in 2007. This is Congo’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976. Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, with no new case reported there since June 21. Those cases included imported infections and secondary transmission among contacts and health workers.
Bundibugyo virus disease currently has no licensed vaccine or approved specific treatment. Care therefore focuses on early detection, supportive treatment, infection control, contact tracing and safe burials. Officials are also expanding community outreach where patients may first seek help outside formal health facilities. Response teams have trained local workers and supplied hygiene materials to reduce exposure during transport and body handling. Early supportive care can improve survival for people infected with Bundibugyo virus disease.
Funding gap remains as surveillance expands
Contact monitoring has improved but remains below public health targets in several affected areas. On Aug. 12, teams followed 17,460 of 20,740 listed contacts, a national follow-up rate of 84.2%. Health officials have deployed more field epidemiologists to raise detection rates and shorten the time between symptoms and care. They are also using community workers to report suspected cases and connect patients with treatment centers. Officials recorded 155 infections among health workers and 45 deaths by Aug. 9.
WHO designated the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17. National authorities and international partners continue surveillance, laboratory testing, clinical care, safe burials and community engagement. Baldé tied the three-month containment assessment directly to securing the required resources. The latest weekly count included 640 additional confirmed cases and 367 additional confirmed deaths since Aug. 9. The response also continues amid insecurity and attacks on health services in eastern Congo.