The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains out of control, with more than 8,200 confirmed cases and about 4,000 deaths recorded since the disease emerged, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned.
The continental health agency said Thursday that 45 of the 63 health zones affected by the outbreak are still reporting active transmission, with insecurity and resistance from some communities making it difficult for health teams to carry out surveillance and other response measures.
The outbreak, which started in three health zones, has now spread to 63 zones in seven provinces, some of which border Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo.
The wider spread has raised concern over further transmission across borders and increased the need for stronger coordination in the regional response.
The Africa CDC said 254 healthcare workers have contracted Ebola since the outbreak began, with 50 of them dying.
“This outbreak cannot be controlled without having safe and secure access for Ebola responders to reach to every health zone, every health area, every health village,” the agency said.
Health officials also cautioned against treating the recent drop in reported cases as proof that the outbreak is coming under control.
Investigations showed that insecurity and resistance from communities in Katwa, Beni, Butembo, Nizi and Nyania had affected surveillance and response activities, limiting the ability of health workers to identify and report infections.
“This is maybe one of the leading causes we're seeing decrease in the number of cases in the past one week,” the official said, urging caution in interpreting the figures.
Although seven health zones have not reported a case for more than 42 days, and 11 others have gone between 21 and 42 days without recording new infections, 45 health zones remain under active transmission.
The response has also been affected by problems with contact tracing. Officials said a significant number of new cases are being identified among people who were not previously included on lists of known contacts.
More than 1,700 treatment beds have been made available as health authorities expand efforts to manage patients. Occupancy levels have fallen to about 63 per cent in North Kivu and 47 per cent nationally.
Vaccination programmes and clinical trials are continuing as health authorities seek to strengthen protection for those at risk. One of the ongoing efforts is assessing the effectiveness of Ervebo among healthcare and frontline workers.
Researchers, however, said there was still not enough evidence to establish whether the vaccine is preventing infections and deaths in the current outbreak.
“It’s too early to tell,” a researcher said, adding that frontline workers would continue to be monitored over time to determine the level of protection provided.
The response has also received a boost in funding commitments after an international mobilisation meeting. The Africa CDC said pledges increased from $1.7 billion to $2.9 billion.
However, the agency stressed that financial commitments would only help if they were converted into actual funding and response activities.
“Pledges alone will not stop an outbreak,” the agency said. “Pledges need to be translated into actual disbursement, and this actual disbursement need to be translated to actual activities on the ground.”
The DRC declared the outbreak on May 15, 2026, after laboratory tests confirmed Bundibugyo virus in samples from suspected cases in Ituri Province.
The outbreak is the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17 after cases were also confirmed in Uganda.
With dozens of health zones still recording active transmission, officials said the continued response will depend on access to affected communities, effective surveillance, contact tracing, vaccination and the availability of resources for response operations.