Kinshasa, October 29th, 2025 (CPA). – The teams from Medecins Sans Frontieres (‘Doctors Without Borders’, MSF) have ended their emergency response in the Bulape health zone in Kasai province in the centre of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, according to a statement consulted on Wednesday by CPA.
‘After several weeks of working alongside the Ministry in charge of Health, the WHO and local authorities, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) teams have completed on Friday October 24th the handover of their activities at the Bulape Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC),’ it is read. According to the source, the last patient to recover was able to leave the centre on October 19th, and if no new cases are confirmed, the epidemic can be declared over on November 30th, in accordance with the rule of 42 days without any new confirmed cases.
Dr Maria Mashako, quoted in the press release, has explained that in view of this positive development, the MSF was able to end its emergency intervention in Bulape, reduce its teams and let other actors, in particular the Ministry in charge of Health, take over the work. ‘We are pleased to have once again played a decisive role in the response to this epidemic, in which collaboration with the authorities, the WHO and the community has enabled us to overcome many challenges,’ he has said in the same press release. According to the source, the last confirmed case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been recorded on September 26th and the number of suspected patients is declining sharply, as is the number of suspected patients admitted to the Bulape ETC.
The press release has noted that MSF staff at the Bulape Ebola Treatment Centre has now been replaced by the Ministry in charge of Health personnel, whom we will continue to support financially for two weeks and who will benefit from the infrastructure, equipment and medicines we are donating with our departure. The response to this 16th Ebola virus disease recorded in DRC has benefited from the rapid mobilisation of the authorities and several experienced actors, as well as the population of the affected area.
This mobilisation has made it possible to keep the spread of the epidemic under control, which unfortunately has claimed the lives of 45 people, including 34 confirmed cases. A total of 64 cases have been recorded, including 53 confirmed and 11 probable cases. Nineteen patients with confirmed Ebola infection have been cured thanks to the care provided in the ETC.
MSF reaffirms its willingness to collaborate with the authorities to protect the health of the population.
Furthermore, Dr Mashako has revealed through the same channel that MSF stands ready to support the Congolese authorities again if this epidemic were to resurface, and reaffirms its willingness to collaborate with national and international authorities to continue protecting the health of the population and to learn from this experience in order to strengthen future responses to epidemics. He has indicated in the same statement that, while the response has brought this new epidemic under control, it has reminded us once again that, beyond emergency interventions, the overall strengthening of the health system is a priority in order to prevent, identify and deal with such situations. « The experience shows that improving the quality of and access to primary health care is a central pillar of the response to this type of emergency. The mobilisation at this level is therefore also necessary here, » he has concluded. CPA/