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Congo runs short of health workers as Ebola cases surge in North Kivu
September 26, 2026
The World Health Organization says Congo lacks staff for Ebola treatment centers as cases surge in North Kivu and fall in Ituri and Haut Uele.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease of humans and other primates, passed between people through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of those infected.
Key facts
- Congo lacks enough health workers to run its Ebola treatment centers, and the gap is widest in North Kivu in the east, where cases rose 73% in three weeks during the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday.
- Most confirmed infections are in adults, yet children younger than five die at the highest rate, more than 60 per cent of cases, against roughly 40 per cent for adults.
- Anne Ancia, who represents WHO in Congo, said a single Ebola treatment center needs roughly 300 health professionals, among them nurses, anesthetists, hygienists and general practitioners.
- “While cases and theft are declining in some provinces, they continue to rise in others,” Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire, who directs WHO emergencies in Africa, said.
AP News reports that Congo lacks the staff its Ebola wards need, with the gap sharpest in North Kivu, where the World Health Organization counts a 73% rise in cases over three weeks. Anne Ancia, the WHO representative in Congo, tells AP News that each center needs about 300 health professionals, a roster that runs from anesthetists and hygienists to nurses and general practitioners. Al Jazeera carries the staffing account too, and its coverage cites the WHO on the outbreak reaching two new health zones. Reuters puts deaths at 3,799.
UN News reports a WHO update that points the other way in two provinces. Ituri saw cases drop by approximately 26 per cent over the last 21 days, and Haut Uele by 15 per cent. By the agency's count, beds for treatment and isolation now number nearly 1,400, spread over 49 centres, and almost 88 per cent of contacts are being traced. UN News and AP News agree that the youngest patients fare worst: more than 60 per cent of children under five who are infected die, against approximately 40 per cent of adults. Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire tells UN News that about one in three new cases comes to light only after the person has died in the community. “We must do more to identify sick children earlier and ensure that they receive appropriate treatment without delay; early detection save lives,” Dr Belizaire said.
The outlets agree on every figure they share. The staff shortage, the rise in North Kivu and the higher death rate among small children are corroborated. The provincial declines, the bed count and the tracing rate come from the WHO update carried by UN News and are still developing.
Health experts said Wednesday that the Ebola response in DR Congo, now past 130 days, has grown considerably and is showing “the first encouraging signs of progress”.
health experts
Still developing
The epidemiological link for many new infections had not firmed up as of this draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- AP News — Congo is running short of health workers as Ebola remains out of control, WHO says
- Reuters — WHO says Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones - SRN News
- UN News — DR Congo Ebola outbreak toll exceeds 3,700 deaths
- Al Jazeera — DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads to two new health zones, WHO says
Toggle read the full reports of all 5 outlets counted on this event.