Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola Response Faces Setback As Transit Centre Burns Down in DR Congo Camp

What the report says

UN News reported through AllAfrica that Ebola response efforts in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo suffered a new setback after a transit centre for patients burned down in Kigonze camp in Ituri province. The facility had been used to support people needing treatment, and the loss further reduced already strained response capacity in an area that remains central to the outbreak.

Julien Harneis, the UN’s senior Ebola response official in the DRC, said the destruction of the centre was especially damaging because rebuilding such sites requires money, staff and time. He also noted that Kigonze camp, which had sheltered about 19,000 people displaced by violence, is now abandoned after recent insecurity in and around the site.

The report said the fire comes amid broader instability that is complicating health work across Ituri and neighboring provinces. Humanitarian access has been restricted in several health zones, transport of laboratory samples and patient transfers have been delayed, and some aid groups have suspended activities. UN agencies and partners are also dealing with displacement, attacks on responders and limited access to affected communities.

More broadly, the article said the DRC’s current Ebola outbreak has spread across seven provinces since mid-May and remains concentrated in Ituri. WHO is supporting case management, surveillance, burial teams and community outreach, while urging faster expansion of treatment and response capacity. The situation matters because losing treatment infrastructure can slow isolation and care, increasing the risk of further transmission.