Ebola outbreak in Kasai kills 16, including four health workers
The outbreak has affected Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai Province where health officials have been carrying out investigations.
An Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has left 16 people dead, including four health workers, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed on Thursday.
The ministry reported 28 suspected cases in the Bulape and Mweka health zones, where patients have shown symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and haemorrhage.
Tests carried out at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa on September 3 confirmed Ebola Zaire as the cause of the outbreak.
According to the statement, the first patient was a 34-year-old pregnant woman admitted to HGR Bulape on August 20, 2025.
“The index case was a 34-year-old pregnant woman admitted to HGR Bulape on August 20, 2025. She exhibited sudden fever, bloody diarrhoea, multiple haemorrhages, vomiting and extreme physical weakness,” the ministry said.
“She died on August 25, due to multi-organ failure. Transmission within the hospital affected an attending nurse and a laboratory technician, both of whom later died.”
To control the outbreak, the government has dispatched a national rapid response team supported by World Health Organisation (WHO) experts in epidemiology, infection prevention, laboratory work and case management. Local health workers are also engaging communities on preventive measures.
WHO has delivered two tonnes of medical supplies, including protective equipment and mobile laboratory kits, to support the response.
The agency noted that reaching the affected areas is challenging, with access requiring a full day’s drive from Tshikapa, the provincial capital, and limited air routes.
“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Janabi said. “Banking on the country’s long-standing expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks, we’re working closely with the health authorities to quickly scale up key response measures to end the outbreak as soon as possible.”
Authorities have cautioned that more cases may emerge but said tracing and monitoring of contacts is underway to ensure quick treatment and containment.
The ministry also confirmed that 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine are stockpiled in Kinshasa and will be transferred to Kasai to vaccinate health workers and contacts of confirmed patients.
The DRC last reported an Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province in April 2022, which was contained in less than three months. Kasai previously experienced outbreaks in 2007 and 2008.
Since the first known outbreak in 1976, the country has recorded 15 episodes of the deadly virus.
Ebola virus disease is a rare but often fatal illness transmitted through close contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects. The WHO says fruit bats are considered natural hosts, while human-to-human spread occurs through direct contact with blood or body fluids of infected individuals.
