Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have indicated that the Ebola outbreak affecting various regions of the country has peaked.
This marks the first time since the outbreak began in May that the rate of new infections appears to be declining, according to officials.
Samuel Roger Kamba, the health minister of the DRC, emphasized the need to continue following strict preventative measures, noting a decrease in the transmission of the Bundibugyo variant of Ebola. “We’re dealing with a very dangerous virus that has caused many deaths,” he stated. “At one point, there were about 120 cases daily; today, we’re down to around 80. So, we’ve seen a daily drop in new cases.”
“It’s been over 22 days since new cases have been reported in 10 of the 62 health zones. We can officially take six health zones off the list, as they haven’t had new cases in over 42 days, and four others can be removed for going more than 21 days,” he added.
Recently, the Sud-Ubangi region—located at the borders with Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic—reported its first cases of the disease, becoming the sixth province to be affected.
Declared by Congolese authorities on May 15, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak is mainly concentrated in the Ituri province, where ongoing conflict complicates responses to the disease. This incident marks the 17th outbreak of Ebola in the DRC since the disease was first recognized in 1976.
Currently, there’s no effective treatment for the Bundibugyo variant, but clinical trials are underway. Recently, the DRC received over 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which is the only approved treatment for the more prevalent Zaire Ebola virus.
The Congolese health ministry’s latest figures show over 7,200 confirmed cases, with more than 3,475 deaths reported by September 14.
While some progress is noted, Iracan Gratien de Saint-Nicolas, a member of parliament for Bunia, cautioned against being overly optimistic, labeling it “triumphalism.” He insisted that efforts must increase to demonstrate that the situation is under control.
Gratien urged a focus on lessons learned from prior shortcomings in tracking the spread of the disease, which had led to its rapid transmission.
He also voiced doubts about the government’s announcements, stressing, “Any claims that an epidemic is under control need objective indicators. If the evidence supports the claim, let’s make it public. Transparency in the data can bolster public confidence.”
He expressed concerns that some key indicators demonstrating that the outbreak was under control might have been overlooked, such as a sustained decline in new cases, fewer deaths, and a high rate of contact tracing.
Earlier last month, Jean Kaseya, the director-general of the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, visited Bunia and mentioned that it was hard to determine when the peak would occur, noting that containment and contact tracing efforts were not yet sufficient.
Kaseya highlighted that a significant portion of the fatalities—60 to 70%—originated from the community, with the list of contacts continually expanding. Epidemiologists consider the outbreak peaked when all cases arise from identified contacts.
In Rwampara, a town in Ituri, residents are weary from months of living in fear of the virus. Léa Munyere, a 36-year-old mother of four, expressed relief at the news that Ebola may be under control. She recounted the loss of two close friends and her ongoing struggle to cope with their deaths.
“We’re hoping the disease will soon be officially declared over. It’s taken away so many beloved people from us since it was first reported,” she remarked. “We just want to return to our normal lives.”
