The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded 1,118 confirmed Ebola cases and 291 deaths as of 25 June 2025, according to the latest situation update from the DRC government. The case fatality rate stands at 26 per cent, with 408 patients currently under care and 122 having recovered so far.

Scale of the Outbreak

The DRC Ministry of Communications and Media posted the update on X on Wednesday, revealing that epidemiological surveillance has identified 138 suspected cases, while the contact follow-up rate stands at 77.1 per cent. The eastern Ituri province remains the epicentre of the outbreak.

Notably, South Kivu province has reported no new transmission since 26 May, offering a measure of cautious optimism even as the broader crisis deepens. Surveillance, patient care, and contact tracing operations continue across all affected areas.

WHO Calls It the Largest First-Month Outbreak on Record

Abdirahman Mahamud, Director of Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations at the World Health Organization (WHO), told a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday: 'This is the largest number of confirmed cases in the first month of an Ebola disease outbreak in Africa.'

Despite the alarming scale, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that the global risk from the ongoing outbreak remains low. He pointed to expanding response capacity as a reason for measured confidence.

Response Capacity Scaling Up

Mahamud outlined significant improvements in treatment and testing infrastructure. Treatment bed capacity has grown from 'a handful to over 500 beds across 19 health zones' over the past two weeks. Laboratory testing capacity has surged from roughly 30 tests per day in Kinshasa at the outbreak's start to more than 2,000 tests per day through a network of eight decentralised laboratories across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.

Presidential Response and Regional Cooperation

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi announced on Tuesday that he would travel to Ituri province to personally oversee response operations on the ground. He made the remarks at a joint press conference in Kinshasa alongside visiting Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the African Union (AU).

The two leaders were briefed by the DRC's national Ebola response task force before the press conference. Tshisekedi called for stronger regional cooperation centred on prevention, epidemiological surveillance, and rapid information-sharing. Ndayishimiye urged African nations and the wider international community not to close borders, signalling concern that travel restrictions could hinder the coordinated response.

What Comes Next

With the DRC logging the highest confirmed case count in the first month of any African Ebola outbreak on record, the coming weeks will test whether expanded treatment capacity and accelerated contact tracing can bring transmission under control. International health bodies are watching the Ituri epicentre closely as President Tshisekedi's planned visit signals a shift toward direct political engagement with the crisis.