Ebola outbreak in Congo is over, health minister says

In this photo provided by Doctors Without Borders, men stand outside an Ebola treatment center in the remote Bulape Health Zone, Kasaï province, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sunday, Sept 7, 2025, that was set up following the outbreak of the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus. (MSF via AP)

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo announced the end of the country’s 16th Ebola outbreak on Monday.

“To date, the DRC has 53 confirmed cases, 43 deaths, and 11 probable cases related to the 16th Ebola outbreak, with an overall positive trend,“ Minister for Health Roger Kamba said in the capital, Kinshasa.

He added: “Indeed, no new confirmed cases have been recorded for 45 consecutive days.”

Kamba said more than 27,000 people were vaccinated, including 4,000 frontline workers, which the minister credited for helping to stem the outbreak. He noted the Central African nation is still battling other outbreaks, including cholera and mpox.

The government announced the Ebola outbreak in September in Bulape, in the southern Kasai province. The outbreak was Kasai province’s 7th and first in 18 years, and it spread to at least four other localities.

The World Health Organization initially faced significant challenges in delivering the vaccine with limited access and scarce funds.

The outbreak added a fresh layer of worry for the Central African country, which has been battling the M23 rebel group, which launched a rapid assault in January in the eastern region of the country and has since occupied key cities.

An Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in eastern Congo killed more than 1,000 people.

Jean-yves Kamale, The Associated Press