The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued updated temporary recommendations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as it intensifies efforts to contain an ongoing outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). The recommendations followed the second meeting of the Emergency Committee on the outbreak on August 18, 2026,……
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued updated temporary recommendations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as it intensifies efforts to contain an ongoing outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD).
The recommendations followed the second meeting of the Emergency Committee on the outbreak on August 18, 2026, held under the International Health Regulations (2005).
According to the WHO, the updated guidance provides more detailed measures for surveillance, case detection and investigation, infection prevention and control, clinical care, risk communication and community engagement.
The recommendations also introduce new measures covering social restrictions, mass gatherings and domestic mobility.
The WHO said its Secretariat assessed the risk associated with the outbreak in the DRC as “Very high” as of August 14, 2026.
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The health agency said the outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), which belongs to the Orthoebolavirus genus.
Unlike Ebola virus disease, the WHO noted that there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics specifically for BDBV, although clinical trials are ongoing.
The agency stressed that even if effective BVD-specific vaccines and treatments become available, they would complement rather than replace core public health measures.
Under the updated recommendations, the DRC is expected to maintain the outbreak as a health emergency and strengthen national emergency management mechanisms, including an emergency operations centre and a single national response plan.
The plan is expected to cover enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, case management, safe and dignified burials, continuity of essential health services, logistics and protection of health workers.
The WHO also called for stronger community engagement, urging authorities to work with local and religious leaders, traditional healers, survivors and other trusted community actors to improve acceptance of public health measures.
It recommended enhanced surveillance and laboratory capacity, including active case finding, investigation of alerts within 24 hours and expanded decentralised RT-PCR testing capacity.
The agency further advised authorities to maintain daily monitoring of contacts of confirmed and probable cases for 21 days after their last known exposure.
On social measures and domestic mobility, the WHO recommended postponing mass gatherings in areas experiencing community transmission of BDBV, while events in other areas should be subjected to event-specific risk assessments.
It also recommended measures to reduce crowding in food and drink establishments and nightclubs, limit motorcycle passengers to one, facilitate the safe reopening of schools and establish 24-hour health checkpoints along roads linking affected areas with locations considered at high risk of transmission.
The WHO also called for surveillance on inland waterway vessels linking affected areas with major urban centres, including Kinshasa.
On international travel, the agency recommended strengthened surveillance at border crossings and cooperation between the DRC and neighbouring countries to track contacts who may have crossed borders.
It further advised that suspected, probable and confirmed cases, as well as contacts based on exposure risk, should be prevented from undertaking international travel except for appropriate medical evacuation.
The WHO also recommended exit screening at airports, ports and land crossings, including questionnaires on possible exposure, temperature checks and further assessment of travellers with fever.
The agency urged authorities to strengthen infection prevention and control measures in health facilities, ensure adequate supplies of personal protective equipment and provide regular training and supervision for healthcare workers.
It also recommended survivor follow-up programmes providing counselling, psychosocial support, clinical care, sexual health advice and stigma-reduction services.
The WHO called for research into BDBV transmission patterns and the development of medical countermeasures, including candidate vaccines and therapeutics.
It also urged the DRC to support ethically approved clinical trials and strengthen regulatory and ethics review processes to accelerate research.
The updated recommendations are to be implemented with full respect for the dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals, in line with the principles of the International Health Regulations.
The DRC is also expected to report to the WHO monthly on the implementation of the recommendations, including challenges encountered and gaps in the national response.
