By Michael Gwarisa in Durban
Just over a month since the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared an Ebola outbreak, African health authorities say the situation is now under control, and the outbreak could soon be declared over.
On September 4, 2025, the DRC Ministry of Public Health announced an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Kasai Province. The index case was a 32-year-old pregnant woman from Bulape Health Zone in Kasai. Since then, 53 confirmed cases have been reported from 923 samples collected, with 34 confirmed deaths.
However, there have been no new confirmed cases over the past 24 days, and authorities have already begun the countdown to officially declare the end of the outbreak.
Speaking at the official opening of the Fourth Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Durban, South Africa, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, confirmed that the countdown had already started.
We have started the final countdown and crossed our fingers. We hope that by the end of next month, we will be able to declare success. We were fast, we were effective, because we worked as one team,” said Professor Janabi.
He applauded the DRC for having a strong public health system that enabled a swift and coordinated response.
“We went there not to supplement, but to complement. Primary care is not a fiction. If we invest in it, it can be a lasting solution for our continent. This is where health coverage and preparedness meet. Self-reliance does not mean working alone; it means working in partnership,” he said.
A total of 42,240 Ebola vaccines have been deployed, with 36,134 people vaccinated so far, including 291 frontline workers and 610 contacts. The remaining vaccine stock currently stands at 5,316 doses.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Incident Manager, Professor Yap Boum, told journalists at a press briefing that the rapid containment of the outbreak was the result of strong coordination and unity of purpose.
