RismadarVoice Reporters
August 28, 2026
The international medical humanitarian organisation – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has opened a new Ebola treatment centre in Beni, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as health authorities and aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the ongoing outbreak.
MSF announced the development on Friday, saying the new treatment facility was established to increase available bed capacity and support the response to the outbreak, which has continued to place pressure on health services in affected areas.
North Kivu has recorded 122 confirmed Ebola cases and 87 deaths since the outbreak began in mid-May, according to government data.
The province currently has the highest case fatality rate among the six provinces affected by the outbreak, with the rate standing at 68%.
Health workers have identified limited treatment capacity as one of the challenges affecting the response. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) emergency preparedness and response chief, Dr Wessam Mankoula, said earlier this month that up to 2,000 additional beds were needed.
The current outbreak is reported to be the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak and is considered the second deadliest on record, with the spread of the disease putting further pressure on containment efforts.
MSF emergency coordinator Albert Stern said early diagnosis and prompt treatment were important in improving patients’ chances of survival and reducing the possibility of transmission within families and communities.
The outbreak is associated with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. There is currently no known vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, leaving health workers to rely heavily on established outbreak-control measures, including contact tracing, patient isolation and infection-prevention procedures.
MSF said it currently has about 1,400 staff supporting the Ebola response in Congo and operates treatment centres with a combined capacity of about 400 beds.
The opening of the Beni treatment centre is expected to provide additional capacity as health authorities and humanitarian organisations continue efforts to identify cases, isolate infected patients and limit further transmission.
