Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began administering Ebola vaccinations in Kisangani on Thursday, launching a targeted campaign in the capital of Tshopo Province to protect frontline responders. The initiative prioritizes healthcare workers, emergency response teams, and individuals with direct contact with confirmed patients as the country confronts its deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak. Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba confirmed that the government deployed an initial supply of the Ervebo vaccine under a compassionate-use framework across impacted eastern provinces to safeguard essential personnel and help disrupt viral transmission chains.

The European Commission has broadened its initiative to combat Ebola by acquiring €2.1 million worth of PCR tests specifically for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. This procurement involves open-platform testing kits designed to be compatible with existing laboratory systems. The procurement process received backing from the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Dispatches are scheduled to commence in August, as health authorities face a significant outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, affecting surrounding regions.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has obtained a distribution of 70,000 Ebola vaccine doses as the outbreak in Bundibugyo expands. As of Aug. 18, health authorities reported 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 fatalities. The epidemic now affects 56 health zones across six different provinces. Additionally, officials have documented 1,115 recoveries, while 730 patients remain hospitalized or in isolation as response teams continue working intensively within affected communities in eastern and northeastern parts of DR Congo.

The World Health Organization indicates that if sufficient resources are allocated, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could be contained within three months. As of August 16, official data recorded 5,021 confirmed cases and 2,378 fatalities. The disease has spread across six provinces and 55 health zones, with an approximate case fatality rate of 47%. This marks the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever documented in the country. WHO and Congo health teams strengthen surveillance amid the expanding Ebola outbreak. Thierno Baldé, WHO incident manager, stated that the timeline for containment hinges on maintaining adequate staffing, supplies, and operational support. To date, about $69.3 million of the required $115 million has been mobilized. During a two-week span, health teams established over 400 new treatment beds. They also dispatched 100 additional epidemiologists and more than 500 community health workers, who are vital for surveillance, contact tracing, case identification, and patient referrals. The response effort also involves deploying ambulances, vehicles, medical supplies, and trained personnel across the impacted regions. Transmission has now reached Bas-Uélé, making it the sixth province affected by the outbreak. Although Ituri continued to be the primary transmission hub in mid-August, accounting for the majority of confirmed cases and deaths, officials report that many recent infections lack any known link to existing patients. This gap underscores the urgency of faster case detection and contact monitoring. In response, teams have expanded surveillance activities to identify cases

Health Officials Warn of Near 30,000 Deaths from Malaria in DRC Amidst 26 Million Cases BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / RankWire.AI / – The Democratic Republic of the Congo documented 26,064,143 malaria cases in 2025, highlighting the extensive reach of the disease across the nation. The country’s health authorities also reported a total of 29,938 deaths linked to malaria during that period. During the launch of a mass treatment initiative in Ituri province, Guy Esebe Dembo, deputy director of the National Malaria Control Programme, shared these statistics. The campaign aims to target regions where malaria remains a leading cause of illness and continues to strain healthcare resources.

Top health officials issued a warning on Friday that the outbreak of Ebola in Central Africa is growing at an alarming rate. The World Health Organization has indicated that if community transmission continues at its current level and logistical challenges persist, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak could surpass all previous epidemics in terms of fatalities. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus advised journalists that the outbreak could potentially eclipse the 2014–2016 West Africa crisis, which resulted in over 11,000 deaths across the region, if action is not taken.