Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

On 1 August 2018, a new Ebola was recorded in North Kivu and Ituri, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is the tenth and largest outbreak ever reported in the country and the second largest in history. An eleventh outbreak has now been recorded in Mbandaka.

On 17 July 2019, the WHO declared the tenth Ebola epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Importance (PHEIC) in order to improve the management of this outbreak.

Since mid-February 2020, no cases were reported for seven weeks and there was hope that the outbreak was finally over. Patients with Ebola were reported again in mid-April, but the outbreak was brought back under control and is now in its final phase.

The DRC Ministry of Health is working with WHO and other partners to control the Ebola outbreak. The fight is hampered by continuing armed conflicts in the regions and the mistrust of the population.

However, on 1 June 2020, the Government of the DRC announced that there is a new Ebola outbreak in Wangata, Mbandaka, in the province of Équateur. It is the eleventh Ebola outbreak in the country since 1976.

More information

• Ebola - Information for civilians and health professionals in Belgium
• Ebola overview page of the WHO 
• WHO recommendations for international travellers related to the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo