The health authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) formally declared an end to the country’s latest Ebola outbreak today, Monday, December 1, 2025, following a successful containment effort in Kasai Province.
This outbreak, the DRC’s 16th since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976, was declared on September 4, 2025, after a cluster of cases was confirmed in the Bulape health zone of Kasai Province.
The termination of the outbreak comes after the mandatory 42-day countdown, which represents two incubation periods of the virus, passed without any new confirmed cases. The countdown began when the last patient was successfully discharged from the treatment centre on October 19, 2025.
Key statistics for the 2025 Kasai Province outbreak:
- Total Cases: 64 cases (53 confirmed and 11 probable)
- Total Deaths: 43 deaths
- Case Fatality Rate (CFR): Approximately 67.2%
- Location: Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai Province.
Rapid Response and Vaccination Success
The relatively swift containment of the outbreak, despite its high mortality rate, has been attributed to the DRC government’s experienced response teams, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners.
Key to the successful containment efforts were:
- Rapid Diagnostics: Immediate testing of samples at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB).
- Targeted Vaccination: More than 35,000 people were vaccinated against the Ebola virus in Bulape, primarily using the WHO prequalified Ervebo vaccine, targeting contacts and frontline health workers.
- Quick Infrastructure Deployment: A 32-bed Ebola treatment centre was established in record time in the remote Kasai region.
The genome sequencing of the initial cases confirmed that this was a new zoonotic spillover event and not a flare-up of a previous outbreak, underscoring the persistent threat the virus poses to the region.
