ETIDIOH - NEW

  {Summary} Situation at a glance On 1 December 2025, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the end of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak which had been declared on 4 September 2025.  The end was declared after two consecutive incubation periods (a total of 42 days) since the last person confirmed with EVD tested negative for the virus and was discharged on 19 October 2025.  A total of 64 cases (53 confirmed, 11 probable), including 45 deaths (CFR 70.3%), were reported from six health areas in Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province .  WHO and partners provided technical, operational and financial support to the government to contain the outbreak.  This is the country’s 16th outbreak of Ebola.  Although the outbreak has been declared over , health authorities are maintaining surveillance to rapidly identify and respond to any re-emergence.  Risk communication and community engagement activities will continue...

  Abstract The wildlife reservoir and spillover mechanisms of Ebola virus remain elusive despite extensive research efforts in endemic areas. This study employed a One Health approach to examine the virus’ circulation in wildlife and the associated human exposure risks in the Tshuapa province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . We screened 1049 samples from 919 animals , predominantly small mammals , collected in 2021, and 380 samples from inhabitants of Inkanamongo village, the site of an Ebola virus disease outbreak in 2014. These samples were screened for evidence of current (RNA) or past (IgG antibodies) Ebola virus infections. We also conducted interviews with 167 individuals in the surrounding districts to assess their interactions with wildlife . While no Ebola virus RNA was detected in the wildlife samples , anti-orthoebolavirus IgG antibodies were found in 13 bats and 38 rodents . Among the human participants , 120 individuals had IgG antibodies against at least 1 or...

  {Excerpt} On Sept 4, 2025, the DR Congo Government and Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Bulape health zone (Kasai province), marking the end of over 15 years without any reported cases of Ebola virus disease in this region . As of Sept 14, 2025, there were 35 confirmed Ebola virus disease cases and 16 deaths , representing a case fatality rate of 45·7%.1,2 This unexpected resurgence in a region with insufficient preparedness capacity raises serious concerns about potential regional spread, including towards neighbouring Angola. At the same time, DR Congo is experiencing one of the most severe cholera outbreaks of the past decade , with a total of 48 139 cases and 1443 deaths reported between Jan 1 and Aug 24, 2025, resulting in a case fatality rate of 3%.3 By epidemiological week 33, high case fatality rates were reported in the provinces of Kwilu (76 cases, 26 deaths; 44%), Sankuru (42 cases, 6 deaths; 14%), and Equateur (224 cases, 19 death...

  Date of issue : 30 September 2025 Data as reported by : 28 September 2025 {Summary} The Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues, with signs of a notable decline in transmission .  Since our last update (Situation Report #2), a total of seven new cases have been reported, comprising six confirmed and one probable cases (retrospectively validated).  The new cases were detected across three health areas within Bulape Health Zone , namely, Bulape (n=4), Mpianga (n=2), and Dikolo (n=1).  During the same reporting period , seven deaths occurred among newly identified and previously hospitalized cases. The reported deaths were distributed across Dikolo (n=3), Bulape (n=2), Mpianga (n=1), and Bulape Communitaire (n=1) health areas. As of 28 September 2025, a total of 64 cases (53 confirmed and 11 probable), including 42 deaths (31 confirmed, 11 probable), have been reported from Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province , Democratic Republic...

  {Summary} Overall risk and confidence Overall risk -- National: High  -- Regional: Moderate    -- Global: Low    Confidence in available information  -- National: Moderate -- Regional: Moderate -- Global: Moderate Risk statement On 1 September 2025, WHO received an alert from the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape Health Zone , Kasai Province , DRC.  The first currently known suspected EVD case was admitted to the Bulape General Reference Hospital on 20 August 2025 and reported to have died five days later (25 August 2025). This is a 34-year-old female patient with a 34-week gestational age who presented with fever, bloody diarrhoea, followed by anal, oral, and nasal haemorrhage, vomiting , and asthenia .  She reportedly died on 25 August 2025, with a clinical picture of multiple organ failure.  Two of the contacts of this first case (a m...

  F AST FACTS • On September 4, the DRC Ministry of Health officially declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai province. • According the the World Health Organization (WHO), as of September 15 there are 81 suspected cases and 28 deaths , including four nurses . However, data reporting has been challenging, with conflicting statistics reports being circulated by various health authorities. • Kasai is extremely isolated , sometimes requiring multiple days of driving from Kinshasa to Tshikapa, the provincial capital, during the rainy season. Very few air routes reach the province, though an airstrip in Bulape is being established. • Significant gaps exist in the response to EVD , including adequate case management capacity, blood supplies, IPC/WASH support, and more. OUR RESPONSE • International Medical Corps has been responding in the DRC since 1999, and currently has offices in Goma and Kinshasa. • Our Rapid Response Team (RRT) ...

  Situation at a glance On 1 September 2025, WHO received an alert from the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province, DRC .  The first known index case was a pregnant woman who presented at Bulape General Reference Hospital on 20 August 2025 with symptoms of high fever, bloody diarrhoea, haemorrhage and extreme weakness . She died on 25 August from multiple organ failure .  On 4 September 2025 , following confirmatory laboratory testing, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of EVD .  Ebola virus disease is a serious , often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood or secretions of infected wildlife and then spreads through human-to-human transmission .  As of 4 September 2025, 28 suspected cases, including 15 deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR): 54%), have been reported from three ar...

  Kinshasa – Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Kasai Province where 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths , including four health workers, have been reported as of 4 September 2025. The outbreak has affected Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai Province where health officials have been carrying out investigations after the cases and the deaths reported presented with symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and haemorrhage . Samples tested on 3 September at the country’s National Institute of Biomedical Research in the capital Kinshasa confirmed the cause of the outbreak as Ebola Zaire caused by Ebola virus disease.    A national Rapid Response Team joined by World Health Organization (WHO) experts in epidemiology, infection prevention and control, laboratory and case management has been deployed to Kasai Province to rapidly strengthen disease surveillance, treatment and infection prevention an...

  Abstract During infectious disease outbreaks, acquiring genetic data across various kingdoms offers essential information to tailor precise treatment methodologies and bolster clinical, epidemiological, and public health awareness. Metagenomics sequencing has paved the way for personalized treatment approaches and streamlined the monitoring process for both co-infections and opportunistic infections. In this study, we conducted long-read metagenomic DNA sequencing on mpox-like lesion pustules from six suspected patients who were positive and confirmed to be infected with MPXV during the MPXV subclade Ib outbreak in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The sequenced data were taxonomically classified as bacterial, fungal, and viral in composition . Our results show a wide spectrum of microorganisms present in the lesions . Bacteria such as Corynebacterium amycolatum, Gardnerella vaginalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterobacter clocae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Stenotro...

Abstract On 08 December 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported an outbreak of Disease X in the Panzi Health Zone, Kwango province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This unknown pathogen , with 406 cases and 31 deaths at the time of its declaration, predominantly affects children under 5 years. Disease X, hypothesised to be a zoonotic ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus , poses significant challenges because of limited healthcare infrastructure, gaps in risk communication and ineffective community engagement . This opinion article aims to explore these challenges and advocate for the urgent need for culturally tailored, inclusive communication strategies that foster trust and empower local communities in responding to outbreaks. Key approaches highlighted include mobilising local leaders, utilising mobile laboratories for decentralised diagnostics and improving sample collection techniques. Drawing on lessons from previous epidemics, such as COVID-19 and Ebola, this article ...

Summary Background Clade I monkeypox virus is endemic in DR Congo. We aim to describe the epidemiological trends of the cocirculating subclades Ia and Ib mpox outbreaks in Kinshasa, DR Congo. Methods This retrospective observational study included suspected and laboratory-confirmed mpox cases reported between Jan 1, 2023, and Oct 31, 2024, in Kinshasa. Skin lesion swabs or blood samples were collected as part of a routine countrywide mpox surveillance programme. To confirm the diagnosis of mpox, all samples were tested at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) using real-time PCR. Whole-genome sequencing was conducted for phylogenomic analysis and assessment of APOBEC3 type mutations. Samples that remained unassigned to subclade Ia or Ib after whole-genome sequencing and real-time PCR were labelled as an unknown subclade. Findings As part of routine disease surveillance, 1479 suspected mpox cases were reported in Kinshasa. Samples were collected from 1314 suspected mpox ...

Summary Background Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, is a serious public health threat in Africa , especially in DR Congo . Previously limited to endemic areas with clade 1a, monkeypox virus has recently spread to non-endemic regions, where clade 1b has emerged . This study provides a clinical comparison of mpox cases in DR Congo regions where clade 1a and clade 1b are prevalent. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study , analysing PCR-confirmed mpox cases reported from sentinel health zones in seven provinces between Oct 1, 2023, and Sept 31, 2024. Cases from the newly affected provinces (South-Kivu and Kinshasa) were described along with those from four endemic provinces (Mai-Ndombe, Tshuapa, Tshopo, South-Ubangi, and Équateur). Surveillance data, including type of exposure, demographic details, clinical presentation, complications, and outcomes were collected from national surveillance systems and local health facilities, with laboratory confirmation using quantit...

Abstract Several concurrent mpox outbreaks are ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . We report a case of severe clade Ia mpox in an adult woman with indeterminate HIV status who died 16 days after symptom onset. She self-identified as a sex worker and had spent time in the capital city, Kinshasa. Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/5/24-1690_article ____

Situation at a glance On 9 February 2025, officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported to regional health authorities a cluster of 24 unexplained community deaths in a single village in Ekoto health area, Basankusu health zone, Equateur province .  As of 25 February, a total of 53 deaths have been reported , with the last death occurring on 22 February.  Deaths have occurred in all age groups , but adolescents and young adults , particularly males , appeared to be disproportionately affected in the initial cluster reported.  Disease progression appeared to be fast , with a median time from onset of symptoms to death of one day .  Given the rapid decline in the incidence of reported deaths, their geographic clustering, the age profile of deaths and the rapid disease progression in the initial cluster, working hypotheses include chemical poisoning or a rapid onset bacterial meningitis cluster , on a background of malaria and other infectious illnesses end...

Kinshasa – Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and experts from World Health Organization (WHO) are carrying out further investigations to determine the cause of another cluster of illness and community deaths in Equateur province .  In recent months, disease surveillance has identified increases in illness and deaths three times in different areas of the country , and triggered follow-up investigations to confirm the cause and provide needed support.   Since the beginning of 2025 , a series of illnesses and community deaths have affected Equateur province . The most recent cluster occurred in the Basankusu health zone , where last week 141 additional people fell ill , with no deaths reported. In the same health zone, 158 cases and 58 deaths were reported in the same health zone earlier in February. In January, Bolamba health zone reported 12 people who fell ill including 8 deaths.  Increased disease surveillance has identified in total of 1096...

Abstract Background For decades after the identification of mpox in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease was largely confined to the rural areas of Central and West Africa and thus did not garner broad attention. On August 13, 2024, mpox was declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), a notice that was followed the next day by a declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization. Methods In this study we analyzed all mpox cases and deaths , based on clinical or laboratory diagnosis, that were reported to the Africa CDC from January 1, 2022, to October 30, 2024, to identify temporal variations, geographic distributions, and epidemiologic trends. Results From January 1, 2022, to August 18, 2024, a total of 45,652 mpox cases were clinically diagnosed and laboratory-confirmed in 12 African countries . These ca...

Summary Background DR Congo has the highest global burden of mpox , a disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus . The incidence has risen since 1980, but recent analyses of epidemiological trends are lacking. We aimed to describe trends in suspected and confirmed mpox cases in DR Congo using epidemiological and laboratory mpox surveillance data collected from 2010 to 2023, and provide insights that can better inform the targeting and monitoring of control strategies. Methods We analysed aggregated national epidemiological surveillance data and individual-level laboratory data from 2010 to 2023. We calculated incidence based on suspected cases, case-fatality ratios, and percentage of laboratory-confirmed cases and assessed geospatial trends. Demographic and seasonal trends were investigated using generalised additive mixed models. Findings Between Jan 1, 2010, and Dec 31, 2023, a total of 60 967 suspected cases and 1798 suspected deaths from mpox were reported in DR Congo ( c...

{Excerpts} 27 December 2024 Situation at a glance This is an update to the Disease Outbreak News on Undiagnosed disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo published on 8 December 2024 (now named acute respiratory infections complicated by malaria).  It includes updated epidemiological investigation information and preliminary laboratory results.  On 29 November, an alert was raised by local health zone authorities of Panzi health zone in Kwango province after an increase in deaths , particularly among children under five years of age , following febrile illness .  Enhanced epidemiological surveillance was rapidly implemented, which in the absence of a clear diagnosis was based on the detection of syndromic cases of febrile illnesses with cough, body weakness, with one of a number of other symptoms compatible with acute respiratory and febrile illnesses.  This resulted in a rapid increase in the number of cases meeting the definition, with a total of 891 cases re...