Ebola: One Month Since Outbreak Declared in Congo - Urgent Need to Strengthen Testing and Community Collaboration

A nurse guides patients at an Ebola treatment center opened in Ituri Province, Congo = May 31, 2026 © Anna SCHÖNHOFER/MSF

One month has passed since the Ebola (Ebola hemorrhagic fever) outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (hereinafter referred to as Congo). While the response is expanding, there are significant delays in monitoring, diagnosis, contact tracing, and collaboration with local communities, making it difficult to contain the outbreak. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urges the immediate implementation of a response commensurate with the scale of the outbreak.

The outbreak is spreading faster than the response

Kate White, MSF's Emergency Medical Coordinator, states:

"One month has passed since the outbreak occurred, but the Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than the response. We do not accurately know the actual scale or where the infection is spreading. What is clear is that many treatment facilities in Ituri Province are overwhelmed, many patients are hospitalized after becoming seriously ill, and most people are seen without being identified or monitored as contacts."

Ebola is spreading in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces in the eastern part of the country, with approximately 95% concentrated in Ituri. The response is led by the Congolese Ministry of Health with the support of multiple international organizations, but there are areas where the response does not reach due to unstable security. Even in relatively stable areas, efforts to discover cases, testing, identifying contacts, and infection surveillance are all insufficient. Nineteen confirmed cases have also been confirmed by health authorities in neighboring Uganda.

The Congolese health authorities have reported more than 650 confirmed cases and over 130 deaths, but MSF points out that these may only be a part of the whole.

Staff attending to patients at the Ebola treatment center in Goma, North Kivu Province, supported by MSF = May 29, 2026 © Daniel Buuma

Strengthening the testing system is urgent

"The testing system remains one of the biggest challenges in the response," says White.

"While testing capacity is being strengthened in eastern Congo, it is still insufficient. Particularly in areas with unstable security, access to testing is limited. Additionally, it takes time for test results to reach treatment facilities. If we cannot conduct testing more quickly and widely, early detection will be difficult, and containing the outbreak will be challenging."

In areas where the outbreak is occurring, millions of people have been living amid long-term conflict, displacement, chronic medical shortages, and limited humanitarian aid. This situation hinders the response and creates an environment where infection can easily spread.

Staff using a newly installed Ebola testing device at a hospital in Mongwal, Ituri Province = June 3, 2026 © Anna SCHÖNHOFER/MSF

Building trust with local residents is essential

In Ituri, where MSF has been active for many years, there are local residents who feel anxious and distrustful of the suddenly arrived Ebola response teams.

"Simply launching activities or explaining the disease is not enough to gain the trust of the local community. We need to listen to people's concerns and involve the local community in the response," says Frédéric Rai Manantsoa, MSF's Emergency Response Coordinator.

For many regions, this outbreak is just one of several health crises that have not been adequately addressed for years. To protect lives, it is essential to control the outbreak while maintaining access to daily medical care.

"Pregnant women need maternal and child health care, children need vaccinations, and there are people who need treatment for malaria and cholera. Maintaining access to daily medical care also contributes to strengthening Ebola surveillance in the community," says White.

Strengthening the testing and monitoring system and collaboration with the community

While the number of confirmed infections in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces is relatively small, there are challenges in monitoring and testing, similar to Ituri Province. North Kivu has only one testing facility for blood tests, and it takes several days for results to come out. Furthermore, transmission to medical facilities is not automated, and it can take nearly a week for results to arrive.

In addition to direct medical treatment, MSF is dispatching teams to remote areas and areas with unstable security where warnings have been reported, promoting early detection and strengthening response capabilities.

"This outbreak should still be controllable, but the time for response is limited," says Rai Manantsoa.

"We urgently need to strengthen diagnosis, monitoring, access to medical care, and collaboration with the community. We strongly urge authorities and stakeholders to ensure the movement of medical personnel and materials and take all possible measures to enable a response commensurate with the scale of this crisis."

Staff working at the Ebola treatment center set up at a hospital in Bunia, Ituri Province = June 4, 2026 © Alexis Huguet/MSF

[MSF's Activities in Response to the Ebola Outbreak]

Since the outbreak, MSF teams in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces have set up Ebola treatment centers in Bunia, Mongwal, Komanda, Goma, Bukavu, and Ruwiro. They are also expanding isolation and treatment facilities across the three provinces. In addition, infection prevention and control measures are being strengthened at supported medical facilities. Furthermore, they are widely engaged in dialogue with the community, supporting monitoring activities, training medical personnel in infection prevention and control, supporting safe and dignified burials, supplying medical facilities with equipment and pharmaceuticals, and ensuring the continuation of basic medical services beyond Ebola response. So far, hundreds of tons of equipment and pharmaceuticals have been transported from Kinshasa and abroad, and approximately 600 staff members are currently engaged in Ebola response.