Attachments
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the crisis
The 16th outbreak of Ebola virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was declared on September 4, 2025 by the Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention, following its emergence in Kasai Province. Since then, the outbreak resulted in 64 total cases (53 confirmed, 11 probable) and 45 deaths1 . The epicenters were concentrated in the Bulape and Dikolo health areas, which together account for approximately 78% of all reported cases.
On December 1, 2025, the Government officially declared the outbreak over, marking the completion of the 42-days countdown from the discharge of the last confirmed case from the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) on October 19, 2025.
Coordination of health activities would be handed over to provincial health structures from the Government’s public health emergency operations centre. A 90-day plan to strengthen post-epidemic surveillance in Kasai Province and Surrounding Areas is enforced for the period of heightened surveillance.
Vaccination efforts during the outbreak reached 47,577 individuals. Following the declaration of end of the epidemic, the vaccination campaign in the affected area has concluded and is no longer mandatory.
The EVD outbreak remained geographically confined to Kasai Province, primarily within the Bulape Health Zone. Six health areas are currently affected: Bulape, Bulape Communautaire, Igongo, Mpianga, Bambalaie, and Dikolo. However, due to significant population movement between Bulape and neighboring zones, the risk of virus spread had been considered high throughout the outbreak. As a result, continuous surveillance across a wider geographic area and sustained preparedness measures remains essential to mitigate risks.
Since the start of the outbreak, staff and volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross (DRC Red Cross) have worked tirelessly to save lives, supported by an emergency appeal launched by the international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on September 15, 2025, for a 12-month period.
During the immediate post-outbreak period, the DRC Red Cross remains a critical actor in sustaining community engagement, monitoring for potential flare-ups, supporting survivors, and maintaining preparedness structures. To ensure continuity, the National Society has developed an immediate plan aligned with the Government’s priorities for the next 90-day heightened surveillance period per Ebola response protocol. In the coming month, the Operation Strategy along with the emergency appeal will be revised to reflect this shift in the 90-day period and beyond, focusing on strengthening community-level readiness, reinforcing surveillance, improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and infection prevention and control (IPC) standards, ensuring trusted communication, and providing survivor support. Approaches will aim to ensure that the capacities built during the outbreak are consolidated and translated into long-term resilience.
The IFRC’s Preparedness for Effective Response (PER) framework will ensure that actions also strengthen the National Society’s ability to respond to future emergencies in a predictable and coordinated manner.