BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / RankWire.AI / – The European Commission has increased its support for Ebola response efforts by securing €2.1 million to purchase PCR testing kits for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. The funding covers tests compatible with open-platform systems that laboratories can deploy using their existing equipment. The procurement process was supported by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Shipments are scheduled to begin in August as health authorities confront a significant outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and affecting neighboring regions.
Distribution will be managed by the World Health Organization, which will deliver the tests via its Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics based in Dubai. WHO will coordinate subsequent distribution to locations involved in the Ebola containment efforts. PCR technology enables laboratories to confirm infections and bolster surveillance efforts around known cases. These verified results are essential for guiding patient treatment, isolation protocols, and contact tracing. The current supply package enhances laboratory capacity at a critical time when authorities are monitoring ongoing transmission across multiple provinces and health zones within the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Previously, the European Commission allocated an additional €2.5 million for rapid molecular point-of-care tests and diagnostic instruments. This equipment will support the regional response efforts of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The two diagnostic initiatives now total €4.6 million. They are part of a broader European aid package aimed at strengthening the response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, including medical supplies, preparedness strategies, and public health resources to support affected and neighboring communities.
Testing capacity expands amid a major outbreak
As of August 12, WHO figures report that the Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 4,665 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,184 deaths. Infections have been identified across 54 health zones in six provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. WHO described this as the largest Ebola outbreak ever documented in the country. The agency also highlighted ongoing transmission within interconnected geographic clusters, which continues to impose substantial demands on surveillance teams, laboratories, treatment centers, and local healthcare services.
In its August update, WHO maintained a very high national risk level for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while categorizing the regional risk for neighboring countries as high and the global risk as low. Following a meeting of its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on August 24, WHO issued updated temporary guidelines covering surveillance, case detection, infection prevention, clinical management, and community engagement. These recommendations also address mobility restrictions and large gatherings during the ongoing response efforts.
European health aid reaches €493 million
The European Commission announced it has mobilized €493 million to provide emergency assistance, vaccines, treatments, and health security measures across the Great Lakes and Uganda regions. European health agencies are also supporting laboratory testing, surveillance, and preparedness initiatives. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control continues to assess the risk to Europe as very low. Since Ebola mainly transmits through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, rapid detection, safe clinical practices, and infection control remain vital to curbing its spread.
The Bundibugyo virus outbreak remains classified as a public health emergency of international concern under WHO’s international health regulations. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease. Consequently, health authorities continue to rely on surveillance, swift diagnosis, isolation, clinical management, infection control, and close contact monitoring. The newly acquired PCR testing resources will bolster these efforts. WHO, Africa CDC, and national health agencies are actively coordinating operations to ensure rapid case detection and maintain effective public health measures within affected communities.