Kasindi, November 3rd, 2026 (CPA).- Healthcare teams have been strengthened following measures taken by the Provincial Ebola Response Coordination in Mutwanga Health Zone, in North Kivu Province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the CPA learned on Tuesday from official sources.
“Currently, thanks to all the measures we have put in place, it is possible to provide treatment for an Ebola patient right here in Mutwanga.
We were dispatched by the provincial authority, the Governor of the province, Major General Évariste Kakule Somo, because for some time now, since around October 30th, we have observed an increase in Ebola virus disease cases.
It was during the 43rd epidemiological week that we reached the peak in this Mutwanga Health Zone,” said Prisca Luanda Kamala, Senior Adviser to the Military Governor in charge of Health and Education.
For this provincial official, “it was very important for the provincial coordination team to visit the area together with its partners to assess how the response is being organized in this health zone.”
In this part of North Kivu, where 68 confirmed cases have been recorded, the Governor’s representative assured local teams that additional personnel and partners would be deployed and that new treatment facilities would be established.
Ms. Prisca Luanda said the mission was intended to strengthen community-based surveillance and ensure the availability of healthcare facilities.
To this end, a transit centre is under construction at the Lubiriha Reference Health Center, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), and is expected to become operational by next Thursday.
Another Ebola treatment center is also under construction in Bulongo, with support from Uganda, and is expected to become operational by the end of this week. The Ebola treatment center at Mutwanga General Hospital is already operational.
The Senior Sectoral Coordinator in North Kivu stressed that these facilities will now bring healthcare services closer to affected populations, who previously had to travel to Beni to receive treatment.
She also announced the construction in Kasindi of an entry checkpoint and a transit center intended to screen traders crossing the border between the DRC and Uganda, as part of the “One Health” approach.
While commending the support provided by Ugandan teams, WHO and Africa CDC, she called on other partners to strengthen their presence in Mutwanga Health Zone.
Mutwanga Health Zone, located in Beni Territory at the foot of Mount Ruwenzori, is one of the 17 health zones affected out of the 34 health zones in North Kivu by the 17th Ebola virus disease outbreak, amid cross-border health cooperation with Uganda. ACP/