Africa is in a stronger position to face Ebola today than it was seven years ago — but not strong enough to coast through a major surge. That reality hit home on September 4, when the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) declared a new outbreak in Kasai. So far, there are 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers. The Zaire strain has been confirmed, and transmission is ongoing, according to the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Between 2018 and 2020, DR Congo suffered the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history: more than 3,400 cases and 2,299 deaths. That crisis exposed deep weaknesses, but it also forced new strategies—from stronger community engagement to faster diagnostics and better treatment centres. By 2022, when Equateur faced a smaller flare-up, authorities moved quickly and shut it down within weeks, thanks to vaccination campaigns and rapid testing.
Today, the continent has tools it lacked a decade ago. The rVSV-ZEBOV “Ervebo” vaccine is stocked globally and deployed using the “ring vaccination” method—immunising contacts and frontline workers around confirmed cases. WHO says DR Congo has already secured an initial 2,000 doses for Kasai. On the treatment side, two antibody therapies—Inmazeb and Ebanga—have proven effective at cutting deaths when given early. They aren’t miracle cures, but they save lives if patients reach care quickly.
Africa’s disease surveillance has also improved, especially since Covid-19. The Africa CDC has pushed for faster cross-border data sharing, joint incident response, and decentralised testing. In May, WHO, Africa CDC, and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute expanded a partnership to strengthen collaborative surveillance across member states. And in July, African countries met in Yaoundé to design a continental plan to bring diagnostics closer to communities—reducing delays in confirming cases.
Still, cracks remain. In rural areas, patients may be days away from the nearest treatment centre, making early intervention difficult. Funding is another weak spot, as outbreak budgets often lag behind the epidemic curve, delaying the deployment of vaccinators and burial teams. Perhaps most critical is trust: rumours and fear have slowed care-seeking in past outbreaks, showing that social engagement can be just as important as medical tools.
Experts say that stopping Kasai’s outbreak from spiralling will depend on four things: rapid ring vaccination, quick access to antibody treatments, decentralised diagnostics, and community-first engagement. Radio broadcasts, faith leaders, and survivor advocates can sometimes save more lives than any lab test, by making communities part of the solution.
The bottom line? Africa is more prepared—with vaccines, treatments, mobile labs, and recent experience containing Ebola. But preparedness is not resilience. Long distances, late funding, and fragile trust can still undermine the response. The Kasai outbreak is a reminder that tools alone don’t stop Ebola—people do. If authorities combine fast science with strong community partnerships, this flare-up can be contained. If not, the cost in lives and public confidence will be heavy.
