---
title: "Congo's Ebola outbreak can be contained if support increases, WHO official says"
description: "GENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - It is possible to contain the latestEbola outbreakin Congo, but it will be difficult unless the right steps are taken within the next two weeks, a World Health Organization official said on Friday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-09-12-congos-ebola-outbreak-can-be-contained-if-support-increases-who-official-says/"
published: "2025-09-12T13:18:11"
updated: "2025-09-12T13:18:12"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 317
---

# Congo's Ebola outbreak can be contained if support increases, WHO official says

> GENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - It is possible to contain the latestEbola outbreakin Congo, but it will be difficult unless the right steps are taken within the next two weeks, a World Health Organization official said on Friday.

By Reuters · Published 12 September 2025, 15:18 SAST · Updated 12 September 2025, 15:18 SAST

## Key points
- Just when you thought the Democratic Republic of Congo was done with Ebola, it pulls a surprise comeback in Kasai province, leaving health officials scrambling to contain the outbreak before it turns into an unwelcome regional tour.
- DRC's health ministry has declared its first Ebola outbreak in three years, marking the 16th overall outbreak in the country, with 32 suspected cases and 16 deaths reported.
- WHO emphasizes the need for urgent support to contain the outbreak, warning that the window of opportunity for effective response is closing.
- A stockpile of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine are ready for deployment, with 400 doses already arrived in Bulape for frontline health workers.
- Limited capacity and recent cuts to foreign aid may hinder the response, raising concerns about potential spread to neighboring countries, particularly Angola.

## Content

Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry [last week](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3UR0J7&linkedFromStory=true) declared the country's first Ebola outbreak in three years. It is the country's 16th outbreak overall and the first in Kasai province since 2008.

The latest data from the health ministry in Kinshasa said there were 32 suspected cases, 20 confirmed cases and 16 deaths.

Containing the outbreak is "possible, but it will be challenging if we miss the window of opportunity," WHO Programme Area Manager Patrick Otim told a Geneva briefing, calling for more support for the government and other partners.

"We have the expertise, DRC has the expertise, but we need to be able to get the people and supplies into place and we need to be able to pay for the operations."

The WHO said last week that Congo had a stockpile of treatments as well as 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which would be transported to Kasai to vaccinate frontline health workers and people who came into contact with patients.

Otim said on Friday that 400 doses had arrived at the outbreak's epicentre in the city of Bulape, and that the campaign could begin on Saturday.

He said the WHO plans to request an additional 40,000-50,000 Ebola vaccine doses for Congo.

Several aid workers have [told Reuters](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL5N3UX0OS&linkedFromStory=true) that Congo could struggle to mount an effective response given recent cuts to foreign assistance and the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Donald Trump.

There is limited capacity to respond to the outbreak in Kasai and new treatment facilities need to be set up there "as the outbreak may expand," Otim said, noting that one new case was confirmed 70 kilometres from the current epicentre.

There is moderate risk of the outbreak spreading to other countries "with the most prioritised country being Angola," Otim said.

(Reporting by Emma FargeAdditional reporting by Robbie Corey-Boulet in DakarEditing by Thomas Seythal)