BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / RankWire.AI / – The European Commission has finalized a deal to secure €2.1 million worth of PCR tests for the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. These open-platform tests are designed to help detect cases and improve laboratory capacity during this emergency. The procurement was coordinated with support from the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Shipments will start in August, providing critical diagnostic tools as health authorities tackle rising case numbers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The PCR tests will be sent to the World Health Organization’s Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics located in Dubai. WHO will oversee their distribution to regions involved in the Ebola response. PCR testing is key to confirming infections because laboratories can process large amounts of samples with high precision. The tests also work with existing lab infrastructure. Rapid confirmation allows health teams to identify infected individuals, provide proper care and isolation, and conduct contact tracing around confirmed cases.
This new procurement follows a separate agreement by the European Commission for €2.5 million in rapid molecular point-of-care tests and testing devices. Those supplies will support the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Together, these agreements bring the EU’s latest diagnostic support total to €4.6 million. These measures are part of a broader European effort to respond to the Bundibugyo virus emergency, which is straining health systems in parts of Central and East Africa.
Diagnostic aid expands as outbreak intensifies
WHO reported that by August 12, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths. Cases spread across 54 health zones in six provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, and Bas-Uélé. WHO called it the largest Ebola outbreak ever seen in the country. The agency also noted that transmission remains intense, with interconnected geographic clusters continuing to spread within affected areas.
WHO maintained its highest national risk level for the Democratic Republic of the Congo on August 14. It assessed the risk for neighboring countries as high and for others as low. The agency issued updated temporary recommendations on August 24, after its second meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee. The guidance covers surveillance, case detection, infection prevention, clinical care, community engagement, and measures related to domestic mobility and mass gatherings.
European support now totals €493 million
The European Commission announced that it has allocated €493 million for emergency aid, vaccines, treatment, and health-security measures across the Great Lakes region and Uganda. European health agencies have also backed efforts in surveillance, laboratory work, and preparedness. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control continues to assess the risk to Europeans as very low. This assessment reflects the low likelihood of sustained transmission in Europe and the need for close contact with infectious body fluids.
The Bundibugyo outbreak remains a public health emergency of international concern, a status declared by WHO on May 17. Unlike the more common Zaire ebolavirus, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo virus. WHO stresses the importance of surveillance, rapid diagnosis, isolation, clinical management, infection control, and contact monitoring as key response actions. The latest PCR procurement by the European Commission enhances laboratory capacity to support these efforts, while WHO and Africa CDC coordinate health operations with national authorities in affected and neighboring regions.
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