Congo-Kinshasa: The Deadly Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Can Be Stopped

What the report says

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Africa Regional Director Mohamed Yakub Janabi and Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya used an AllAfrica guest column to argue that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can still be contained. Writing after a joint mission to Uganda and the DRC, they said community leaders in Bunia and elsewhere stressed that local residents must be directly involved in tracing cases, sharing information, addressing rumours and supporting safe burials.

According to the article, the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak about 100 days earlier after confirmation of the Bundibugyo virus. The authors said WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern and Africa CDC declared a continental security emergency. They reported 5,290 confirmed cases and 2,516 deaths as of 21 August 2026, across 56 health zones, describing the outbreak as the second-largest recorded and one that is spreading faster than previous ones.

The column said insecurity linked to long-running conflict, displacement and weak services has complicated the response. It also noted progress: surveillance, laboratories, treatment centres and infection-prevention efforts have expanded, Uganda has interrupted locally acquired transmission, and some health zones in northern Ituri and South Kivu have done the same. The authors said the response now needs to be scaled up substantially, with more funding, better protection and pay for frontline workers, stronger community engagement and cross-border coordination.

They warned that travel or trade restrictions are not the answer and said the focus should be on finding cases early, tracing contacts and keeping treatment closer to affected communities. In broad public health terms, the piece frames the outbreak as serious but controllable if national authorities, neighbouring countries and international partners sustain coordinated support.