Kinshasa, December 1st, 2025 (CPA).- The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Monday, during a ceremony presided over by the Prime Minister, the end of the 16th Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in the rural health zone of Bulape, in Kasai, in the center of the country. “Today is an important day for the Ministry in charge of Health because we have good news. We are here (…) to announce the end of an Ebola epidemic,” said Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba, Minister of Public Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare.
« We were informed on September 1st of a possible Ebola virus epidemic because it was a hemorrhagic fever, so we sent teams to the site to analyze, collect samples, and sequence them. Within three (3) days, we declared the disease, which is effectively the result of our experience with several epidemics in the DRC, » he said, adding that the official announcement was made on September 4th. The Minister in charge of Health also stated that the presence of the Prime Minister of the DRC, Judith Suminwa, at this ceremony underscores the importance that the government attaches to the health system in general and to various responses, particularly in the face of epidemics. In his view, among the lessons learned during the response to this Ebola epidemic are, first, the importance of putting the right people in the right places, and second, the effective national coordination provided by the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) and Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe. He recalled that this epidemic cost more than US$1,200,000,000. “We want to pay tribute to Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, because thanks to him we have statistics on the Ebola virus, we have drugs to treat Ebola, and thanks to him we have researchers and professors who are able to do their work,” he added, before acknowledging the contribution of the government’s technical and financial partners, notably the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC Africa, UNICEF, and others.
Ebola disease controlled in six weeks
In the center, the Minister in charge of Health and Prof. Muyembe surrounded by health workers
In addition, the CEO of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) praised the rapid response to the 16th Ebola virus disease epidemic. « In six weeks, we were able to control the disease with the discharge of the second confirmed case on October 19th, 2025. In terms of performance and innovation, we would like to highlight the strength of coordination, which this time around established a rigorous partner accreditation system that enabled the alignment of interventions and all stakeholders in the field, » said Dr. Dieudonné Mwamba, Director General of the INSP. Vaccination strategies have made it possible to vaccinate more than 45,477 people, including 26% of children under 12, 13% of contacts, 4% of pregnant women, and 22% of frontline personnel in 10 health zones.
Dr. Mwamba said that this coordination enabled the deployment of rapid response teams using a “One Health” approach, the deployment of a mobile laboratory in the field for molecular biology, and the use of vaccination as a response measure, as well as the deployment of the “Ebanga” molecule. This 16th epidemic has seen 53 confirmed cases, 11 probable cases, 34 deaths, and 19 recoveries, spread across the Bulape health zone. Ebola virus disease remains a rare but severe illness, often fatal.
It is highly contagious and is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected or deceased person, or through contaminated surfaces. Thanks to scientific advances, available vaccines, and better coordination of the response, the DRC now has more effective tools to quickly contain outbreaks of this virus. The ceremony presided over in Kinshasa by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa marks the end of a period of rigorous health surveillance lasting 42 days without any new cases since the last patient recovered on October 19th, 2025.