The Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially declared an end to its latest Ebola outbreak, marking a critical public health victory after months of heightened alert. Health Minister Roger Kamba announced the closure of the outbreak on Monday in Kinshasa, confirming that the transmission chain in Kasai Province has been fully interrupted.
The outbreak, detected on 4 September, was the country’s 16th since Ebola was first identified in 1976. It emerged at a time when the DRC was already battling concurrent surges of mpox, cholera and measles, a combination that stretched health resources across multiple regions.
Authorities recorded 64 cases in Bulape Health Zone in Kasai, including 53 confirmed and 11 probable infections, with 43 deaths. No new cases have been reported since 25 September, according to earlier assessments by the World Health Organization.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, officials from the WHO and the Africa CDC attended the announcement ceremony, highlighting the extensive coordination between national and international health bodies. The DRC’s last Ebola outbreak occurred in 2022 in North Kivu Province.
Ebola remains one of the world’s deadliest viral diseases, causing severe hemorrhagic fever marked by vomiting, diarrhea, intense fatigue and, in many cases, internal and external bleeding. The swift containment in Kasai is being considered a significant achievement for a country that has repeatedly faced complex outbreaks.
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