DRC says Ebola outbreak “under control” despite persistent risks

What the report says

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government said its Ebola outbreak is now under control and has likely passed its peak, even as officials and health experts warned that risks remain. According to the report cited by The Independent Uganda from Xinhua, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya relayed Health Minister Roger Kamba’s assessment after a cabinet meeting in Kinshasa. Authorities said several affected health zones had gone at least 21 days without new cases and that transmission had slowed in parts of eastern Ituri, the outbreak’s epicenter.

Despite that improvement, the government urged continued vigilance, especially because the outbreak has expanded beyond earlier areas of spread. Officials confirmed the first Ebola case in Sud-Ubangi, in the northwest, bringing the total to seven affected provinces. The patient, a 23-year-old man who later died, had reportedly traveled through multiple provinces and across borders before arriving there, underscoring how movement can complicate containment efforts.

The article also noted some disagreement over the outlook. Former health minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda cautioned that falling numbers in some places do not mean the outbreak is contained everywhere. The World Health Organization, in a weekly update cited by the report, said transmission remains uneven and still uncontrolled in some areas. The outbreak, declared in May, has become the country’s largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record, with reported figures of 7,022 confirmed cases and 3,398 deaths as of Sept. 10.