Virological.org The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently facing concurrent outbreaks including mpox, cholera and malaria (1-4). The Ministry of Public Health, DRC has declared the 16th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak on 04 September 2025 after PCR confirmation of Ebola virus (EBOV), formely Zaïre ebolavirus, in patient’s specimens from Bulape Heath Zone, in Kasai Province.
The re-emergence of EBOV in remote areas with very limited access is not unprecedent since 15 Ebola outbreaks have previously occurred in the country (5). In late August 2025, the local health authorities in Bulape Heath Zone, Kasai Province, DRC raised an alert about cases presenting with haemorrhagic fever symptoms and associated fatalities among both infected individuals and healthcare workers. Suspecting EVD, a buccal swab (from a fatal case) and five blood specimens were collected from six suspected cases then shipped to the national reference laboratory, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa, for diagnosis confirmation and whole genome sequencing (WGS).