US releases experimental Ebola drug for DR Congo outbreak trials
Experimental Ebola drugs are being shipped to Democratic Republic of Congo as the United States releases doses of a treatment for clinical trials in a widening outbreak that has caused more than 1,000 cases and over 250 deaths, the World Health Organization and US officials have said.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 - RFI
Experimental Ebola drugs are being shipped to Democratic Republic of Congo as the United States releases doses of a treatment for clinical trials in a widening outbreak that has caused more than 1,000 cases and over 250 deaths, the World Health Organization and US officials have said.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 - RFI
Health workers care for an Ebola patient at the Rwampara treatment centre in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 18 June 2026. © AP/Moses Sawasawa
The US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it will provide doses of MBP134, an antibody drug developed by California-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, for compassionate use in the DRC and to support a clinical trial in the outbreak region.
"The drug is being made available for compassionate use in Congo as well as to advance a clinical trial in the outbreak region," a department spokesperson told Reuters.
Washington had previously said doses of the drug would only be made available to its own citizens considered at high risk after exposure to the virus.
Trial data could help support future regulatory review and possible US approval, the spokesperson added, declining to say how many doses were being provided.
No approved vaccines or treatments exist for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for the outbreak.
The DRC has recorded more than 1,000 confirmed cases since the outbreak was confirmed on 15 May. The number of cases has risen faster than in any previous Ebola outbreak on record, the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies warned.
The US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it will provide doses of MBP134, an antibody drug developed by California-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, for compassionate use in the DRC and to support a clinical trial in the outbreak region.
"The drug is being made available for compassionate use in Congo as well as to advance a clinical trial in the outbreak region," a department spokesperson told Reuters.
Washington had previously said doses of the drug would only be made available to its own citizens considered at high risk after exposure to the virus.
Trial data could help support future regulatory review and possible US approval, the spokesperson added, declining to say how many doses were being provided.
No approved vaccines or treatments exist for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for the outbreak.
The DRC has recorded more than 1,000 confirmed cases since the outbreak was confirmed on 15 May. The number of cases has risen faster than in any previous Ebola outbreak on record, the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies warned.
Drugs on route
Shipments of MBP134 and other treatments intended for trials are already on their way, the WHO said. The agency is working with health partners to prepare trial enrolment at treatment facilities in the affected region.
Trials of the Mapp drug and two antivirals developed by US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences are due to begin in the coming weeks, according to information provided by the WHO and scientists involved in the testing.
MBP134 will be tested both on its own and alongside Gilead's remdesivir, also known as Veklury, which was widely used during the Covid-19 pandemic. A second Gilead drug, obeldesivir, will be tested as a possible preventive treatment.
Ethics committees and regulators in the DRC and Uganda are reviewing trial protocols. Earlier studies found the treatments to be safe, but they have not been tested against the Bundibugyo strain.
Experimental drugs and vaccines should still be tested in clinical trials before widespread use, despite the urgency of the outbreak, the WHO has said.
Trials in a war zone
The Ebola outbreak is concentrated in the northeastern DRC, with more than 97 percent of cases in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. A small number of cases and deaths have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda.
Running trials and delivering care in the eastern DRC will be difficult, global health officials said. Disease testing and contact tracing are challenging, supply chains have been disrupted, mistrust is widespread and health workers have faced attacks.
The outbreak may have circulated for weeks – possibly months – before it was confirmed. Laboratories in the remote region only had tests for more common strains of Ebola, delaying confirmation until blood samples were sent to Kinshasa.
The WHO has since rolled out a decentralised testing network with new devices that can return results within an hour.
(with newswires)
DRC announces free healthcare for all illnesses in Ituri as Ebola gains ground
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has announced the introduction of free healthcare for all diseases in Ituri – a pilot project that authorities hope to extend nationwide. This comes as the country struggles to contain an Ebola outbreak, with confirmed cases now at over 1,000.
Issued on: 22/06/2026 - RFI
Financial incentives
Meanwhile, the fight against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is at its peak, mobilising significant resources in the region.
Authorities said Monday that confirmed cases have risen to 1,003 and 254 deaths have been reported.
Regarding healthcare workers, authorities have promised compensation to the families who have lost someone, as has already been done for about ten of them. For doctors involved in the response, their risk allowance will be doubled.
During his visit to Ituri, Kamba also announced that Ebola patients will soon no longer be sent to general hospitals, but to specialised treatment centres, still being established, with the aim of improving their care and limiting the spread of infection.
The government is keen to restore the public's confidence in healthcare facilities and counter the numerous misinformation campaigns on social media.
Spreading 'fast'
The fatal outbreak is spreading rapidly in the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.
"The outbreak remains serious" and is "evolving so fast", said Marie-Roseline Belizaire, the WHO Africa emergencies chief.
"However, I have seen a response that is growing stronger every day," she told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Bunia.
The outbreak was declared on 15 May, though transmission had been going undetected for some time beforehand.
Belizaire said the response teams were racing to keep pace with the virus, which spreads by close contact and infected bodily fluids.
The number of treatment beds available for Ebola patients had gone from zero to more than 500, she said.
And surveillance teams were now investigating nearly 400 alerts and were capable of administering more than 2,000 tests a day, she added.
Belizaire also highlighted that efforts to trace contacts of known Ebola cases had ramped up, with 75 percent of all contacts now being reached.
The WHO has said 95 percent of contacts must be traced to get on top of the outbreak.
(with newswires)
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has announced the introduction of free healthcare for all diseases in Ituri – a pilot project that authorities hope to extend nationwide. This comes as the country struggles to contain an Ebola outbreak, with confirmed cases now at over 1,000.
Issued on: 22/06/2026 - RFI
A fourth orphan died from Ebola virus disease at an orphanage in Bunia, Ituri Province, and was buried on 19 June, 2026. AFP - JOSPIN MWISHA
The free healthcare measure was announced on Sunday by the Congolese Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, during his visit to Ituri – the province at the epicenter of the latest Ebola epidemic.
Kamba visited the provincial capital Bunia and is due to travel to the mining town of Mongbwalu, where the epidemic started.
The government's objective is to ensure that Ebola does not relegate other health emergencies to the background.
The pilot programme in Ituri includes free medical consultations and treatment for all illnesses.
It is to be financed with the tax for health promotion which came into effect last March, as well as the mandatory health insurance announced for the coming weeks.
The free healthcare measure was announced on Sunday by the Congolese Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, during his visit to Ituri – the province at the epicenter of the latest Ebola epidemic.
Kamba visited the provincial capital Bunia and is due to travel to the mining town of Mongbwalu, where the epidemic started.
The government's objective is to ensure that Ebola does not relegate other health emergencies to the background.
The pilot programme in Ituri includes free medical consultations and treatment for all illnesses.
It is to be financed with the tax for health promotion which came into effect last March, as well as the mandatory health insurance announced for the coming weeks.
Doctor wearing personal protective equipment tend to a patient in the red zone of the Ebola treatment centre of Rwampara General Reference Hospital in Rwampara, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 12 June, 2026. AFP - JOSPIN MWISHA
Financial incentives
Meanwhile, the fight against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is at its peak, mobilising significant resources in the region.
Authorities said Monday that confirmed cases have risen to 1,003 and 254 deaths have been reported.
Regarding healthcare workers, authorities have promised compensation to the families who have lost someone, as has already been done for about ten of them. For doctors involved in the response, their risk allowance will be doubled.
During his visit to Ituri, Kamba also announced that Ebola patients will soon no longer be sent to general hospitals, but to specialised treatment centres, still being established, with the aim of improving their care and limiting the spread of infection.
The government is keen to restore the public's confidence in healthcare facilities and counter the numerous misinformation campaigns on social media.
Spreading 'fast'
The fatal outbreak is spreading rapidly in the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.
"The outbreak remains serious" and is "evolving so fast", said Marie-Roseline Belizaire, the WHO Africa emergencies chief.
"However, I have seen a response that is growing stronger every day," she told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Bunia.
The outbreak was declared on 15 May, though transmission had been going undetected for some time beforehand.
Belizaire said the response teams were racing to keep pace with the virus, which spreads by close contact and infected bodily fluids.
The number of treatment beds available for Ebola patients had gone from zero to more than 500, she said.
And surveillance teams were now investigating nearly 400 alerts and were capable of administering more than 2,000 tests a day, she added.
Belizaire also highlighted that efforts to trace contacts of known Ebola cases had ramped up, with 75 percent of all contacts now being reached.
The WHO has said 95 percent of contacts must be traced to get on top of the outbreak.
(with newswires)
France confirms first Ebola case in doctor returning from DR Congo mission
France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had returned from DR Congo. The health ministry said the patient had a "very low" viral load and had been placed in isolation.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 -
By: FRANCE 24
It is the first time France has detected Ebola. In 2014, during an outbreak in west Africa, two patients were transported to France, but they had been diagnosed abroad.
The health ministry said it had identified "a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory".
The patient, who arrived in Paris on Tuesday, "boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa and was almost asymptomatic – except for headaches", the ministry said.
Air France flight
The doctor's condition "slightly deteriorated during the flight", after which the patient was immediately isolated and taken into care upon landing in Paris, even before the disease was officially identified, the ministry added.
The patient was in a "stable condition" with a "very low" viral load, the ministry added.
The doctor travelled on an Air France flight, the airline said, adding that it had provided the passenger list to the authorities.
"Contact with these passengers is being handled by the health authorities," Air France said.
Health minister Stéphanie Rist later said five other passengers had been identified as possible contacts and put in isolation as a precaution.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's office said he was monitoring the situation "very closely", but the health ministry stressed that the risk of transmission remained low.
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Wednesday the global risk "remains low".
ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action), an international medical humanitarian organisation, said the patient was one of its doctors.
The group said it was seeking to "understand how the contamination could have occurred".
Humanitarian workers are normally required to undergo a three-week quarantine after contact with infected cases.
According to diplomatic sources, meetings will be held later Wednesday to discuss an appropriate course of action, particularly regarding movement restrictions.
US surgeon recovered
DR Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several unexplained deaths in the mineral-rich eastern Ituri province plagued by armed groups.
According to the latest official figures, more than 1,000 cases have been recorded, including 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of around 25 percent.
Many experts consider it likely that the scale of the outbreak has been underestimated, as it is affecting remote regions.
The Bundibugyo strain of the virus that has caused the outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Existing Ebola vaccines, developed between 2018 and 2019, are only effective against the Zaire strain, which caused previous major outbreaks.
In May, an American surgeon who contracted Ebola in DR Congo was flown to Germany for treatment.
A Berlin hospital discharged the missionary earlier this month, saying he had recovered following 17 days of medical care.
The doctor, identified as Peter Stafford of the Serge charity, had received care that included "experimental therapies currently being trialled for this type of virus", said the hospital.
Public health experts estimate that the risk of the outbreak spreading worldwide remains low, due to the relatively low contagiousness of the Ebola virus.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had returned from DR Congo. The health ministry said the patient had a "very low" viral load and had been placed in isolation.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 -
By: FRANCE 24
Cover image: This undated electron micrograph image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 11, 1995 shows the Ebola virus. AP
01:29
France on Wednesday announced the first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had flown back from DR Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak.
The case is the first of the deadly haemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current outbreak, which has also affected Uganda.
01:29
France on Wednesday announced the first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had flown back from DR Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak.
The case is the first of the deadly haemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current outbreak, which has also affected Uganda.
It is the first time France has detected Ebola. In 2014, during an outbreak in west Africa, two patients were transported to France, but they had been diagnosed abroad.
The health ministry said it had identified "a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory".
The patient, who arrived in Paris on Tuesday, "boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa and was almost asymptomatic – except for headaches", the ministry said.
Air France flight
The doctor's condition "slightly deteriorated during the flight", after which the patient was immediately isolated and taken into care upon landing in Paris, even before the disease was officially identified, the ministry added.
The patient was in a "stable condition" with a "very low" viral load, the ministry added.
The doctor travelled on an Air France flight, the airline said, adding that it had provided the passenger list to the authorities.
"Contact with these passengers is being handled by the health authorities," Air France said.
Health minister Stéphanie Rist later said five other passengers had been identified as possible contacts and put in isolation as a precaution.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's office said he was monitoring the situation "very closely", but the health ministry stressed that the risk of transmission remained low.
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Wednesday the global risk "remains low".
ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action), an international medical humanitarian organisation, said the patient was one of its doctors.
The group said it was seeking to "understand how the contamination could have occurred".
Humanitarian workers are normally required to undergo a three-week quarantine after contact with infected cases.
According to diplomatic sources, meetings will be held later Wednesday to discuss an appropriate course of action, particularly regarding movement restrictions.
US surgeon recovered
DR Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several unexplained deaths in the mineral-rich eastern Ituri province plagued by armed groups.
According to the latest official figures, more than 1,000 cases have been recorded, including 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of around 25 percent.
Many experts consider it likely that the scale of the outbreak has been underestimated, as it is affecting remote regions.
The Bundibugyo strain of the virus that has caused the outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Existing Ebola vaccines, developed between 2018 and 2019, are only effective against the Zaire strain, which caused previous major outbreaks.
In May, an American surgeon who contracted Ebola in DR Congo was flown to Germany for treatment.
A Berlin hospital discharged the missionary earlier this month, saying he had recovered following 17 days of medical care.
The doctor, identified as Peter Stafford of the Serge charity, had received care that included "experimental therapies currently being trialled for this type of virus", said the hospital.
Public health experts estimate that the risk of the outbreak spreading worldwide remains low, due to the relatively low contagiousness of the Ebola virus.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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