Kinshasa, October 22nd, 2026 (CPA).- On May 15th,the Ministry in charge of Public Health declared the 17th Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Five months after this declaration, the country has recorded more than 9,000 cases across eight provinces.
The Congolese Press Agency (CPA) interviewed Dr Germain Kapour, an eco-epidemiologist and researcher at the One Health Institute for Africa, on the challenges posed by this outbreak.
Question 1. Five months after the declaration of the 17th Ebola outbreak, known as the Bundibugyo outbreak, more than 9,000 cases have already been confirmed across eight provinces.
What strategies need to be put in place to reverse this epidemiological curve? Dr Kapour: To reverse the current epidemiological curve of Ebola virus disease, a decentralized, integrated and community-centered response must be implemented.
The aim is to detect every case early, isolate and treat it, identify and monitor all its contacts for 21 days, ensure the safe handling of all deaths and burials, and then prevent the emergence of new chains of transmission.
Question 2: The government had announced that the peak had already been reached. Given the rise in cases, can we say that the epidemic is under control?Dr Kapour: It is important to bear in mind that an epidemic always progresses through three phases (the rising phase, the peak or plateau, and finally the declining phase).
The government believes it has reached the peak, which is very good news; we must now enter the downward phase, which implies a gradual decline in cases over time.
What we are observing does not seem to support this theory. Transmission still appears to be active and insufficiently controlled at national level. In principle, transmission must decrease sustainably in all affected areas.
It is also important to understand that bringing the epidemic under control does not yet mean it has ended.
The official end is only declared once there have been no new cases for a period equivalent to twice the maximum incubation period – that is, 42 days after the last confirmed case tested negative – in accordance with the operational criteria applied by the WHO.
Question 3: What challenges remain in bringing this outbreak under control?Dr Kapour: The greatest challenge posed by this outbreak is security.
The outbreak is raging in an area under a state of emergency, where there are several armed groups.
The outbreak remains difficult to control as it is unfolding against a backdrop of conflict, displacement, overcrowding and limited access to essential services.
The DRC is the country that has experienced the most Ebola virus outbreaks in the world. This is the 17th outbreak, and on 16 previous occasions we have successfully contained it. As a reminder, this outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain is not the first in the DRC either.
It is the second; the first took place in 2012 in Isiro and was brought under control. With the community’s trust, we will defeat it.
We are asking the community to cooperate with the response authorities. ACP/