Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading: WHO reports new cases in provinces

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo caused by the Bundibugyo virus has spread to two additional health zones. The World Health Organization announced this on Friday. This brought the total number of affected areas to 63 in seven provinces.

The newly affected zones are Bulu in Sud-Ubangi province and Dungu in Haut-Uele province, which borders South Sudan. According to the WHO, as of September 23, Congo has reported 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said conflict and displacement made it difficult for health workers to reach affected communities and trace people who may have come into contact with the virus. "It is very difficult to look at Ebola in isolation because even our response to Ebola is affected by the conflict because there are displacements and access to some areas is difficult," said Tedros. He added that limited access may prevent contacts from being traced, while displacement and crowded living conditions increased the risk of transmission.

Test vaccinations on healthcare workers

Tedros said overall case numbers were falling and contact tracing, safe burials and community engagement had improved, although transmission remained patchy in affected areas. The lack of approved vaccines and treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus also complicates the fight and could lead to people being hesitant to seek care at treatment centers, Tedros said, adding that the WHO is working to accelerate clinical trials of vaccines and treatments.

Test vaccinations began last week. The WHO announced that 20,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine have been allocated for a clinical trial in Ituri province. The aim is to gain knowledge about the effectiveness of the vaccine on the Bundibugyo variant of the virus that is currently circulating. So far, protection from Ervebo has only been proven for the Zaire variant.

“We continue to observe significant misinformation”

The vaccine will be tested on healthcare workers who are most exposed to the virus. According to the WHO, infection with Ebola is statistically fatal in half of cases.

Given the risk of future global health emergencies, Tedros said countries must step up their pandemic preparedness. "Ebola will no longer be a pandemic, but there could be a respiratory pathogen that can lead to a pandemic," he said. »Before that happens, we have to prepare ourselves.«

The World Health Assembly adopted its pandemic agreement in May 2025 to strengthen global prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemics. »We continue to observe significant misinformation and disinformation about the WHO pandemic agreement, coupled with false claims. It is a power grab that cedes sovereignty to the WHO," said Tedros. "That's completely wrong."