Ebola: up to 500 new infections a week in DR Congo

The World Health Organization considers progress against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be fragile, as violence complicates access to the sick. Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said on Friday in Geneva that these advances are not enough. According to Rwanda News Agency, the outbreak has killed more than 5,400 people and more than 11,000 people have been infected, with children accounting for more than a third of the deaths. Up to 500 new cases are still reported each week.

To date, cases have been recorded in 67 health zones across eight provinces. Several initial outbreak foci, including Mongbwalu, Nyankunde, Nizi, Rwampara and Butembo, have been brought under control, and new cases have halved in Bunia. Testing capacity has increased: there are now more than 24 laboratories, compared with just two previously, and nearly 2,000 beds are available across 104 treatment and transit centres. More than 80 attacks on health services have been recorded and verified in six months. On 14 November, the WHO reported that an attack in Cantine-Aloya killed 66 civilians, including three health workers. More than 1,000 contacts have been lost to follow-up.

Separately, four UN agencies have raised the alarm: they fear a food crisis that could affect more than 30 million people in DR Congo in early 2027. Julien Harneis, special coordinator for Ebola, believes the health crisis cannot be separated from the violence that has affected the population for decades. Imported cases have been confirmed in Kenya and Nigeria.