RFI’s Priorité santé devoted its 15 September 2026 programme to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Four months after it was declared, the programme describes it as the worst in the country’s history, affecting seven of its 26 provinces. According to Congolese health authorities quoted by RFI, more than 7,000 cases and nearly 3,400 deaths had been recorded, along with 1,671 recoveries.
The programme describes a response that brings together clinicians, researchers and community workers. Several clinical trials led by Congolese and international researchers are testing whether existing treatments can work against the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no proven vaccine. The response also relies on awareness-raising, contact tracing, faster diagnosis and quickly referring patients to treatment centres. All of this depends on earning the trust of communities.
RFI brought together four guests: Antoine Maillard, Head of Research at ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action); Dr Marie Jaspard, infectious disease specialist at Saint-Antoine Hospital (AP-HP) and Inserm researcher; Prof. Steve Ahuka, head of virology at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) and, since July 2026, incident manager for the Ebola response; and Jules Villa, anthropologist at the Institut Pasteur.
