Congo Mobilises Three New Ebola Treatment Centres Amid Rising Cases

On Tuesday, Congo’s health minister, Dr. Alphonse Banyanga, stood before a modest crowd of journalists, aid workers and local officials and announced that three brand‑new Ebola treatment centres have officially opened their doors. The facilities – situated in the provincial capitals of North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu – were rushed into service after a spike in suspected cases over the past month.

“We now have three fully‑equipped sites that can handle the most severe patients,” Dr. Banyanga said, his voice a mix of relief and urgency. “Our teams are trained, the isolation units are ready, and we are stocked with the therapeutics that have saved lives elsewhere.”

The announcement came just days after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the outbreak, now in its fifth wave, could expand beyond the current hotspots if containment measures falter. WHO‑backed experts have been working alongside Congolese health workers, providing personal protective equipment, diagnostic kits and the latest antiviral drug – Inmazeb – which has shown promising results in earlier trials.

Each centre can accommodate up to 100 patients, with separate wards for confirmed cases, suspected infections and those under observation. In addition to isolation rooms, the sites boast laboratory space for rapid PCR testing, a modest pharmacy stocked with rehydration solutions, and dedicated areas for family counselling.

Local NGOs, including Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Rescue Committee, praised the move but cautioned that infrastructure alone won’t end the crisis. “We need sustained community engagement, contact tracing and vaccination campaigns,” said Marie‑Claire Dupont, a field coordinator for MSF. “Without trust, people will still hide symptoms, and the virus will keep slipping through.”

To that end, the ministry announced a parallel push to vaccinate frontline workers and vulnerable populations in the surrounding districts. Over 10,000 doses of the rVSV‑ZEBOV vaccine have already been dispatched, with the aim of reaching 50,000 people by the end of the month.

While the new centres mark a significant step forward, Dr. Banyanga admitted that challenges remain. “Electricity is still patchy in some villages, roads are bad, and we continue to fight misinformation,” he said. “But today we have a concrete answer – three places where sick people can be treated safely, and where we can break the chain of transmission.”

International donors have pledged an additional $12 million to support the operation of the centres, covering staff salaries, medical supplies and outreach activities for the next six months. The hope, according to health officials, is that the combination of treatment, vaccination and community education will finally put an end to what has become the longest‑running Ebola outbreak in Africa.