The World Health Organization (WHO) updates disease outbreak news on Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
As of 4 September 2025, 28 suspected cases, including 15 deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR): 54%), have been reported from three areas of the Bulape health zone (Bulape, Bulape Com and Dikolo) and Mweka health zone. Among the deaths, four are health-care workers. About 80% of the suspected cases are aged 15 years and older.
On 1 September 2025, WHO received an alert from the Ministry of Health of the DRC regarding suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province. The first known index case was a pregnant woman who presented at Bulape General Reference Hospital on 20 August 2025 with symptoms of high fever, bloody diarrhoea, haemorrhage and extreme weakness. She died on 25 August from multiple organ failure. On 4 September 2025, following confirmatory laboratory testing, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of EVD.
Ebola virus disease is a serious, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood or secretions of infected wildlife and then spreads through human-to-human transmission.
Six samples were collected from five suspected cases and one probable death from Bulape health zone and arrived on 3 September at the National Public Health Laboratory (INRB) in Kinshasa for confirmation testing. All five samples tested positive for Ebola virus (EBOV) through GeneXpert and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays on 3 September 2025.
The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, is implementing public health response measures to contain the outbreak. WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by the current EVD outbreak as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level.