Ebola Outbreak: 31 Die in Congo Amid Vaccine Rollout Challenges

The World Health Organization has  reported that 31 of the 48 confirmed cases of Ebola  in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have died. The outbreak has spread across Kasai province, with health officials working round the clock  to contain the transmission. .

The outbreak was declared by the DRC Ministry of Health on September 4, 2025 after laboratory confirmation in Kinshasa of Ebola Zaire in cases from the Bulape health zone.

Initial reports identified suspected clusters in Bulape and Mweka, and since then, cases have appeared across additional health zones including Mushenge and Kakenge. More than 900 contacts are under monitoring and response teams have recorded dozens of suspected and confirmed cases, health workers have been among the fatalities.

Authorities and partners have intensified field operations. The WHO and DRC  Health Ministry have deployed experts, set up an Ebola treatment centre in Bulape, and delivered essential medical supplies. Vaccination of frontline workers and contacts are ongoing,using the Ervebo vaccine, a single-dose shot designed to protect against the Zaire strain of Ebola, with a shipment of roughly 400 doses flown into the epicentre and additional stocks stored at  Kinshasa. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision has approved a further 45,000 doses to support the response.

Response efforts face major constraints. Kasai is remote, roads are poor and some communities are hard to reach; logistics, cold-chain capacity and reduced international funding have slowed rollout of vaccines and treatments. Public-health teams are also contending with local burial practices and community mistrust, complicating safe-burial protocols and contact tracing. Humanitarian agencies warn that without increased  support, containment will be harder.

Health teams are supplying treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, and stepping up contact tracing, community outreach, monitoring, and infection-control measures. WHO officials say the outbreak can be contained if international partners quickly strengthen logistics, vaccine delivery, and staffing. The response is unfolding amid reduced international funding, with recent USAID cuts raising concerns that critical external support could be limited, potentially slowing vaccine delivery, field logistics, and the readiness of partner agencies on the ground.

Daily updates from the DRC Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization track case counts, deaths, and the pace of vaccine rollout, including how many identified contacts receive timely doses. Response teams are also working to reach remote villages to deliver vaccines and enforce safe burial practices critical to halting transmission. Neighbouring provinces and countries are under heightened surveillance for linked infections, while international agencies have called for immediate action to keep the outbreak contained.