The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the cases are caused by the Ebola Zaire strain and has deployed a national Rapid Response Team, supported by WHO experts, to the affected Bulape and Mweka health zones.
To combat the spread, essential supplies, including personal protective equipment and a mobile laboratory, are being delivered. Additionally, communication experts have been sent to the area to educate the public. The country's existing stockpile of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine are being moved to Kasai to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.
According to Dr. Mohamed Janabi, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, the number of cases is likely to increase. The DRC has experienced 15 Ebola outbreaks since 1976, with previous outbreaks in Kasai province in 2007 and 2008. The most recent outbreak in the country was in April 2022 and was brought under control in less than three months.