DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Outpaces Response As WHO Warns Of Health Worker Shortage

The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a shortage of health workers needed to staff Ebola treatment centres as the country battles its fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

The situation is particularly serious in North Kivu, where reported cases increased 73% over three weeks, even as transmission declined in some other provinces, according to the latest WHO assessment.

The outbreak has spread across seven provinces, with more than 7,700 confirmed cases and 3,700 deaths, according to the latest figures cited in the WHO update. The WHO has said transmission remains uncontrolled and varies considerably between affected areas.

North Kivu Surge

North Kivu has emerged as one of the areas requiring greater operational support as case numbers have increased.

The WHO has previously said that the outbreak was placing severe pressure on treatment facilities in North Kivu. In August, treatment-centre occupancy in the province reached 139%, with the organisation warning that health workers, beds and other response capacity were under strain.

The shortage of personnel comes as authorities continue expanding treatment capacity. WHO and Africa CDC have called for more treatment, laboratory, ambulance and burial capacity, as well as additional support for frontline health workers.

Outbreak Expands

The Ebola outbreak was declared in May after the Bundibugyo virus was detected in the DRC. WHO says this strain has no licensed vaccine or specific treatment, although candidate vaccines and other medical countermeasures are being assessed.

By August, the WHO said more than 5,200 cases had been recorded and described the outbreak as the fastest-growing in the country’s history. It said the daily average of confirmed cases during the first three months was around 90, higher than the rate recorded during the same period of the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak and the 2018–2020 DRC outbreak.

The outbreak has been centred on Ituri province, which accounted for most reported cases and deaths in August. WHO said the response has been complicated by insecurity, population displacement, attacks on health facilities, difficult access and reluctance among some communities to engage with response teams.

Response Under Pressure

WHO and Africa CDC have stressed that expanding infrastructure alone will not be sufficient without enough personnel to operate treatment and response facilities.

The agencies have called for frontline health workers to be protected, equipped and paid on time, while also urging stronger surveillance, quicker detection of cases and improved access to affected communities.

Community engagement has also become a major part of the response. In Ituri, WHO teams have worked with local leaders to address resistance to measures such as safe and dignified burials and to strengthen community reporting of suspected cases.

WHO said the outbreak requires a significantly larger response, particularly in areas where transmission continues to rise. The organisation has warned that the spread of Ebola is outpacing response capacity in parts of eastern DRC, leaving health worker shortages as a key constraint on efforts to contain transmission.