More than 4,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo during history’s fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak, which health officials report has now peaked even as severe security challenges and supply hurdles persist.
Seven Provinces Register Over 4,000 Fatalities
The Democratic Republic of Congo is confronting its 17th Ebola epidemic since the virus was first identified in 1976. Official figures released by health authorities record 8,300 cumulative confirmed cases across 63 health zones in seven provinces, with 4,018 deaths tied directly to the disease, putting the national average case-fatality rate at 48.4 percent.
The current crisis is driven by the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Unlike the strains that fueled past epidemics, the Bundibugyo variant lacks any approved vaccine or targeted treatment, leaving medical teams to rely on supportive care and experimental protocols.
Health Minister Roger Kamba Announces the Epidemic Has Peaked
Speaking at a press briefing, DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba announced that the epidemic has passed its highest point. Data shows that 12 of the 63 affected health zones have not reported a single new infection in 42 days, and 19 out of 63 zones affected have not recorded any cases for at least three weeks, signaling a distinct stabilization in parts of the country’s northeast.
With all the evidence we have presented, we can affirm that the peak of the epidemic is now behind us. The outbreak is no longer beyond our control. We are no longer chasing it.
Roger Kamba, Health Minister, Democratic Republic of Congo
Aid group Doctors Without Borders warned that gaps in surveillance mean actual infection numbers likely exceed official records. In North Kivu province, which has a case-fatality rate of 59.3% well above the national average, local treatment facilities are stretched to their limits, with 34 per cent of confirmed Ebola patients still being treated in non-specialised health facilities as of 28 September.
It is like fighting a wildfire,
said Stephanie Hoffman, describing an unpredictable transmission environment where infections continue to rise in neighborhoods adjacent to stabilizing zones.
International Donors Fund Response as Conflict Disrupts Ituri
Kinshasa health authorities have established a 180-day response plan estimated at $1.2 billion to maintain surveillance, contact tracing, and patient care. According to the National Institute of Public Health’s director general, Dieudonné Mwamba, the six-month duration of the initiative is designed to guarantee uninterrupted surveillance, patient care, contact tracing, disease prevention, and community engagement initiatives.
The United Nations reported that 19,000 people fled an Ebola-hit camp on the outskirts of Bunia after soldiers searching for weapons burned a key patient transit center to the ground. Compounding the atmosphere of hostility on the ground, Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a local official of the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress party, was beaten to death at his home in Butembo following his participation in a radio broadcast promoting public health measures.
Medical Workers Deploy Mobile Labs and Vaccine Trials
To accelerate case identification, medical workers in Butembo are deploying mobile laboratories housed inside negative-pressure trucks. These units have dramatically shortened diagnostic turnaround times from up to 72 hours down to between six and 24 hours.
Participation in the Ervebo Ebola vaccine clinical trial has reached 6,300 healthcare workers as of late last week, alongside an additional 1,066 individuals who have also been administered doses. While the vaccine has proven efficacy against the more-common Zaire Ebola virus, its effectiveness is being estimated against the Bundibugyo strain. Scientists in the United Kingdom and Canada are running ongoing trials for dedicated Bundibugyo vaccines, with researchers aiming to make them available before the end of the year.
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