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DR Congo Declares Ebola Outbreak in Kasai as Zaire Strain Confirmed

Remote access constraints complicate a WHO-led push to deliver staff, supplies, vaccines to Kasai.

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(FILES) Health workers are seen inside the 'red zone' of an Ebola treatment centre, which was attacked in the early hours of the morning on March 9, 2019 in Butembo. A new outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 15 people since the end of August, the health minister said on September 4, 2025. The outbreak is in central Kasai province, the minister said. The last outbreak in the vast central African nation was three years ago and killed six people. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Health officials report 28 suspected infections and 15 deaths in Bulape and Mweka, with four fatalities among health workers.
  • Laboratory testing at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa confirmed the Zaire ebolavirus on September 3.
  • WHO and Africa CDC have joined Congo’s Rapid Response Team, deploying experts, mobile lab capacity and two tonnes of protective gear and medical supplies.
  • About 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine stored in Kinshasa are being moved to Kasai to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.
  • The affected area is remote with limited air links and at least a day’s drive from Tshikapa, and WHO cautions that transmission is ongoing with case counts likely to rise.