James Tasamba
06 October 2026•Update: 06 October 2026
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Tuesday voiced concern over the deteriorating health situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, saying new Ebola disease hotspots are emerging every week amid insufficient treatment capacities.
Since the Ebola outbreak declaration in mid-May in Congo, the cumulative caseload stands at 8,554, including 4,114 deaths, the Health Ministry's latest situation update showed.
In a statement, the French medical charity said the Ebola disease outbreak in North Kivu province has intensified dramatically since early September, with the province now accounting for nearly 40% of all newly confirmed cases nationwide, up from 24% at the end of August.
It warned that the situation has placed current patients and entire communities at even greater risk.
“It is like fighting a megafire,” said Stephanie Hoffmann, coordinator of the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Butembo. “Multiple outbreaks are developing at the same time, with varying intensity and in different locations. As long as new hotspots continue to emerge while the virus spreads across northern North Kivu, containing the epidemic will remain extremely difficult.”
The latest epidemic has affected seven provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Tshopo and South-Ubangi.
MSF said North Kivu is bearing a growing share of the country's Ebola burden at a time when access to specialized care remains insufficient.
As of Sep. 28, 34% of confirmed Ebola patients were still being treated in non-specialized health facilities because of limited bed capacity in dedicated treatment centres and delays in diagnosis, according to the medical charity.
