BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / RankWire.AI / – The European Commission has expanded its Ebola response with a €2.1 million purchase of PCR tests for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. The agreement covers open-platform tests that laboratories can use with existing systems. The European Health and Digital Executive Agency supported the procurement process. Shipments are due to start in August as health teams confront a large outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and affecting parts of the wider region.
The World Health Organization will receive the tests through its Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics in Dubai. WHO will then coordinate distribution to locations supporting the Ebola response. PCR testing allows laboratories to confirm infections and support surveillance around known cases. Health teams use confirmed results to guide patient care, isolation and contact tracing. The latest supply package adds laboratory resources at a time when authorities continue to monitor transmission across several provinces and health zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The European Commission previously arranged another €2.5 million package of rapid molecular point-of-care tests and testing instruments. That equipment will support the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in its regional response work. The two diagnostic agreements now total €4.6 million. They sit within a broader package of European assistance for countries dealing with the Bundibugyo Ebola emergency. The support includes medical supplies, preparedness measures and public health resources aimed at strengthening the response across affected and neighboring areas.
Testing capacity grows during major outbreak
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths by August 12, according to WHO figures. Authorities had identified infections across 54 health zones in six provinces. Those provinces include Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo and Bas-Uélé. WHO described the epidemic as the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the country. The agency also reported continued transmission across connected geographic clusters, placing sustained demands on surveillance teams, laboratories, treatment centers and local health services.
WHO maintained a very high national risk assessment for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its August update. It classified the regional risk for neighboring countries as high and the risk elsewhere as low. The agency issued updated temporary recommendations on August 24 after its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met again. The guidance addresses surveillance, case detection, infection prevention, clinical care and community engagement. It also covers public health measures linked to mobility and large gatherings during the continuing response.
European health assistance reaches €493 million
The European Commission said it has mobilized €493 million for emergency aid, vaccines, treatment and health security measures across the Great Lakes and Uganda region. European health agencies have also contributed to laboratory work, surveillance and preparedness activities. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control continues to rate the risk to people in Europe as very low. Ebola generally spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, making rapid detection, safe clinical practices and effective infection controls central to limiting transmission.
The Bundibugyo virus outbreak remains a public health emergency of international concern under WHO’s international health framework. No approved vaccine or specific treatment currently targets Bundibugyo virus disease. Health authorities therefore continue to rely on surveillance, rapid diagnosis, isolation, clinical care, infection control and close monitoring of contacts. The new PCR supply adds testing capacity to that response. WHO, Africa CDC and national health authorities continue to coordinate operations as countries work to detect cases quickly and maintain public health measures in affected communities.