Ebola Outbreak within the Democratic Republic of the Congo | HAN

Summary

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory a couple of new outbreak of Ebola virus illness (EVD) within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). EVD is a extreme sickness and is commonly deadly.

Currently, no suspected, possible, or confirmed EVD instances associated to this outbreak have been reported within the United States or outdoors of the DRC. The threat of unfold to the United States is taken into account low presently. As a precaution, this Health Advisory summarizes CDC suggestions for U.S. public well being departments, scientific laboratories, and healthcare employees about potential EVD case identification, testing, and biosafety issues in scientific laboratories.

On September 8, 2025, CDC issued a Travel Health Notice for individuals touring to the DRC. CDC recommends that every one vacationers to the affected well being zones in DRC keep away from contact with unwell individuals throughout journey and monitor themselves for signs of EVD whereas within the outbreak space and for 21 days after leaving. Travelers who develop signs throughout this time ought to self-isolate and make contact with native well being authorities or a clinician. At this time, CDC just isn’t recommending further assessments or monitoring of vacationers arriving from DRC by the jurisdictional well being departments except talked about within the present VHF steering offered beneath.

Background

On September 4, 2025, the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention within the DRC declared an EVD outbreak attributable to re-emergence of Ebola virus (species Orthoebolavirus zairense) within the Kasai Province. As of September 18, 37 confirmed instances and 19 deaths, together with 4 well being employees, have been reported (case fatality charge [CFR] 51%). This is the sixteenth Ebola illness outbreak reported in DRC because the virus was found there in 1976. The Kasai Province has skilled two earlier EVD outbreaks: one in 2007 with 264 instances and 187 deaths (CFR 71%), and one other in 2008 with 32 instances and 15 deaths (CFR 47%). No suspected, possible, or confirmed EVD instances associated to the present outbreak have been reported outdoors of the DRC or within the United States.

The present outbreak is centered within the Bulape and Mweka health zones within the Kasai Province within the DRC. The index case was a 34-year-old pregnant girl (34 weeks gestation) who was admitted to a neighborhood hospital on August 20 with signs together with excessive fever, bloody diarrhea, hemorrhaging (nasal, oral, anal), vomiting, and extreme bodily weak point. The affected person died on August 25 from a number of organ failure. Two healthcare employees who cared for the affected person later developed comparable signs and died. Blood and buccal swab specimens examined on September 3 on the nation’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed an outbreak of EVD attributable to Ebola virus (species Orthoebolavirus zairense). Genomic sequencing performed by INRB means that it is a new introduction of the illness into the human inhabitants from an unknown contaminated animal.

CDC is working with DRC’s Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention to assist the response to this outbreak. CDC deployed three consultants from its Atlanta headquarters and two from the CDC DRC nation workplace to offer technical experience in surveillance, case investigation, and make contact with tracing. Resources are being mobilized to strengthen laboratory testing, epidemiology, and an infection prevention and management measures. Additional instances could also be retrospectively recognized because the supply of the outbreak stays unknown.

The threat of unfold to the United States is taken into account low presently. Access to the outbreak area is troublesome and there are not any direct flights between the DRC and the United States. However, vacationers from affected areas in DRC may enter the United States on flights connecting via different nations. Therefore, as a precaution, CDC is working to boost consciousness of this outbreak amongst vacationers, public well being departments, public well being and scientific laboratories, and healthcare employees within the United States. Healthcare suppliers needs to be alert and consider any sufferers suspected of getting EVD. It is vital for clinicians to acquire an in depth journey historical past from sufferers with suspected EVD, particularly those that have been in affected areas of the DRC lately. Early consideration of EVD within the differential prognosis is vital for offering applicable and immediate affected person care and diagnostics, and to stop the unfold of an infection.

Ebola Disease

Ebola illness is attributable to a bunch of viruses often known as orthoebolaviruses (previously ebolavirus). Ebola illness mostly impacts people and nonhuman primates, corresponding to monkeys, chimpanzees, and gorillas. Four orthoebolaviruses trigger sickness in individuals, presenting as clinically comparable illness:

• Ebola virus (species Orthoebolavirus zairense) causes Ebola virus illness.
• Sudan virus (species Orthoebolavirus sudanense) causes Sudan virus illness.
• Taï Forest virus (species Orthoebolavirus taiense) causes Taï Forest virus illness.
• Bundibugyo virus (species Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense) causes Bundibugyo virus illness.

The incubation interval for EVD ranges from 2 to 21 days after publicity. An individual contaminated with an orthoebolavirus just isn’t thought-about contagious till after signs seem. Early “dry” signs embody fever, aches, pains, and fatigue and later “wet” signs embody diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding. Ebola illness is unfold via contact (via damaged pores and skin or mucous membranes) with the physique fluids (e.g., blood, urine, feces, saliva, semen, or different secretions) of an individual who’s sick with or has died from Ebola illness. Ebola illness can also be unfold by contaminated animals, or via contact with objects like needles which are contaminated with the virus. Ebola illness just isn’t unfold via airborne transmission.

An Ebola vaccine (ERVEBO®) is authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for stopping EVD because of Ebola virus (species Orthoebolavirus zairense). ERVEBO® ought to solely be given to sufferers who meet particular standards. Two FDA-approved therapies are at present out there to deal with Ebola virus an infection: Inmazeb™ and Ebanga™.

In the absence of early prognosis and therapy, EVD has a excessive charge of fatality. Previous outbreaks of EVD have had case fatality charges as excessive as 80 to 90%. With intense supportive care and fluid substitute, fatality charges may be decrease.

CDC has developed suggestions for U.S.-based organizations (e.g., nongovernmental, faith-based, tutorial, or help organizations) with workers working in affected areas: Recommendations for Organizations Sending U.S.-based Personnel to Areas with VHF Outbreaks.