Health authorities and humanitarian partners are set to open the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) biggest Ebola treatment centre this week as the country battles its largest recorded outbreak of the disease.
The United Nations (UN) disclosed that the new facility, which has a 100-bed capacity, is aimed at improving the detection of suspected cases and ensuring faster referral of confirmed patients for medical care.
According to the latest update from the World Health Organisation (WHO), released on July 30, the outbreak has so far recorded 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths since it was declared in mid-May.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the new treatment centre would strengthen ongoing efforts to contain the rapidly spreading virus.
“This week, health partners will inaugurate the country’s largest treatment centre, with a capacity of 100 beds. The facility will support quicker identification of suspected cases and referrals of confirmed Ebola patients,” an OCHA spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
Acting World Food Programme (WFP) chief, Carl Skau, described the situation as alarming after visiting eastern DRC, noting that Ebola was spreading rapidly among communities already affected by conflict and food shortages.
“Communities are key to ending it but need support,” Skau said.
WHO said the current outbreak has surpassed the previous 2018–2020 Ebola crisis, which recorded 3,317 confirmed cases, making it the deadliest outbreak of the disease ever reported in the country.
The agency revealed that the most recent reporting week recorded the highest number of infections and deaths so far, with 567 new cases and 296 fatalities.
The worst-affected locations are within a designated “red zone”, where emergency response operations are ongoing.
Following the outbreak declaration in 2025, UN agencies and Congolese health authorities launched a 25-bed Ebola treatment centre in December. Since then, medical supplies have been delivered and treatment capacity expanded in affected communities, including Nizi, a major area of concern.
Nizi, which accommodates more than 80,000 internally displaced people across 22 camps, faces additional risks due to population movement associated with mining activities.
Meanwhile, international partners, including the United States and the International Medical Corps (IMC), have supported the establishment of an Ebola transit centre at Kigonze displacement camp near Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province.
However, WHO warned that more resources and expanded interventions are urgently needed as the outbreak continues to spread, with rising infections, wider geographic coverage and a high death rate.
The agency said insecurity, displacement, population movements and cross-border travel are making containment efforts more difficult and increasing the likelihood of further spread.
It added that about 270,000 people displaced by violence are currently living in camps across Ituri Province, creating conditions that could accelerate transmission.
Over the past two months, Ebola has spread to five additional provinces and now affects 49 health zones, with active transmission continuing in 33 of them.
Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 88 per cent of confirmed cases and 82.6 per cent of reported deaths nationwide.
(NAN)