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Drivers of Ebola Virus Disease Resurgence in DRC: A Root Cause Analysis of the 16th Outbreak in Mweka, Kasai Province (2025)
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5100, South Africa
Zoonotic Dis. 2026, 6(2), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis6020025 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 25 March 2026
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Revised: 23 May 2026
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Accepted: 2 June 2026
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Published: 12 June 2026
Simple Summary
In 2025, an outbreak of Ebola occurred in Mweka and was found to be a new spillover of the virus from animals to humans, closely related to an earlier outbreak identified in 1976. Changes in the environment, such as deforestation, the consumption of wild animals, and climate-related movement of animal hosts, increased the risk of this type of outbreak, especially in communities living near forests. Delays in identifying the outbreak led to several deaths, including among healthcare workers, and highlighted weaknesses in disease monitoring and early warning systems. Limited laboratory capacity and reliance on centralized testing slowed confirmation of the outbreak. At the same time, other diseases such as mpox, cholera, and malaria were affecting the region, placing additional pressure on the health system. These challenges show the need for faster local testing, stronger community involvement, and better coordination between human, animal, and environmental health efforts to prevent and control future outbreaks.
Abstract
In 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) experienced its 16th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, centered in the Bulape Health Zone of Kasai Province, amid multiple concurrent epidemics and limited health infrastructure. Genomic sequencing revealed a novel zoonotic spillover genetically related to the 1976 Yambuku strain. A Root Cause Analysis (RCA) using the “5 Whys” framework, integrating epidemiological data, genomic analysis, and surveillance reports, identified key contributors to delayed detection and response, with comparative insights drawn from the 2018–2020 North Kivu outbreak. The Mweka outbreak resulted in 28 confirmed, probable, or suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four healthcare workers. Root causes included inadequate ecological surveillance, weak community alert systems, diagnostic delays due to reliance on centralized laboratories, health system overload from concurrent outbreaks, and structural underfunding of preparedness and coordination. Unlike North Kivu, where security issues drove response delays, systemic and ecological vulnerabilities predominated in Mweka. These findings highlight how ecological and structural weaknesses facilitate novel Ebola spillovers and their escalation, emphasizing the need for sustained investment in One Health surveillance, decentralized diagnostics, and resilient public health governance to strengthen outbreak response capacity.
