Ebola: 71 confirmed cases at checkpoints, $59.8 million funding gap
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Rwanda News Agency
The International Organization for Migration has identified 71 confirmed Ebola cases at the health entry and screening points it supports in DR Congo. A regional funding gap of $59.8 million, nearly half of it for DR Congo, threatens surveillance, according to the IOM and its regional director Frantz Celestin.
Seventy-one confirmed Ebola cases have been identified since the start of the outbreak at the entry and health screening points supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the IOM’s latest report. The organisation puts the regional funding gap for the response at $59.8 million, nearly half of which concerns DR Congo.
Surveillance carried out at displacement sites identified three confirmed cases between 26 October and 1 November 2026. "Ebola screening cannot be limited to hospitals or official border crossing points," said Frantz Celestin, IOM regional director for East and Horn of Africa and Southern Africa. The IOM supports 67 displacement sites in DR Congo, 50 of which are in affected health zones, and works with the authorities on early detection, health screening and referral of patients.
According to the WHO, 10,467 confirmed cases and 5,103 deaths had been reported in 67 health zones in eight provinces as of 31 October. Imported cases have also been reported in Kenya and Nigeria. Insecurity and population displacement complicate access to affected communities.
These figures reflect the evolution of an outbreak that passed the mark of 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths in late October, before becoming, on 7 November, the largest in DR Congo’s history.
