In late August 2025, a gravely ill woman arrived at a hospital in a remote region of Kasai province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), suffering from fever, vomiting and multi-organ failure. She died within a week.
Two health care workers who had contact with the woman soon developed symptoms and also died. Through further contact tracing and testing, epidemiologists were able to identify their cause of death—Ebola virus disease, a rare but often fatal disease spread through close contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person or through contact with contaminated objects. By September 4, 2025, officials in DRC declared an Ebola outbreak in Kasai, citing 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers.
“The healthcare workers died before it was even confirmed that it was Ebola,” said Khen Kabamba, MD, MPH, a consultant working with the Ministry of Health in DRC. “It shows how quickly a health threat can progress, and healthcare workers are often the very first people exposed to infections, the first exposed to this kind of risk.”
Dr. Kabamba is an expert on infection prevention and control (IPC), a set of critical measures and health practices used to stop the spread of infectious diseases like Ebola. IPC protocols are based on scientific evidence and understanding of how pathogens spread and are recommended for all healthcare settings. They include guidelines for hand and respiratory hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment, decontamination of medical devices, safe injection practices, biomedical waste management and other transmission prevention measures.
Healthcare workers are often the very first people exposed to infections, the first exposed to this kind of risk.
Dr. Kabamba (center) inspects a new incinerator for the safe disposal of waste in a healthcare facility in DRC. Photo courtesy of Khen Kabamba
Dr. Kabamba (black hat) visits a health facility in DRC to assess and propose improvements to the disposal of medical waste. Photo courtesy of Khen Kabamba
IPC is a key component of a country’s emergency response to an infectious disease outbreak. In DRC, health officials worked with international partners to quickly implement IPC measures to provide essential care in Kasai and prevent further Ebola disease transmission. On December 1, 2025, DRC officially declared the Ebola outbreak in Kasai over. By developing programs to support IPC, countries are able to respond to emergencies like Ebola and make day-to-day healthcare delivery safer, reducing the risk of future outbreaks.
“IPC plays an important role in protecting health care workers, patients, visitors and the public,” Dr. Kabamba said.
The Global Fund supports DRC in establishing and strengthening IPC throughout the country. Dr. Kabamba works in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation to provide technical assistance to the country’s Ministry of Health for these critical programs. When Dr. Kabamba began working with the Ministry’s Department of Hygiene and Public Health (DHSP) in 2023, they did not have the infrastructure to support a national standard for IPC programs. He helped DHSP establish the country’s first IPC unit, where they developed national infection prevention protocols and best practices and created workplans for IPC improvements throughout the country.
Implementing these health measures in the DRC presents a significant challenge. Prolonged armed conflicts have displaced millions of people and disrupted access to health care, food, medical supplies and clean water. Many health facilities have been destroyed or damaged.
“When health care facilities don’t have materials, equipment or basic necessities, it is very difficult to maintain IPC practices,” Dr. Kabamba said. “For example, some facilities don’t have access to clean water, and how can you practice safe hand hygiene without water?”
Providing hospitals with essential resources such as sanitation equipment is critical to improving infection prevention, as waste can carry harmful bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Part of Dr. Kabamba’s role in improving IPC programs was to collaborate with nonprofit partner organization SANRU to help them develop strategies that advance DHSP’s national IPC goals. This included the installation of 18 incinerators for safe waste disposal and creating targeted sanitation improvement plans at facilities across 5 provinces.
Members of the Department of Hygiene and Public Health (DHSP) with Dr. Kabamba (right) in the Kwilu Province in DRC. Photo courtesy of Khen Kabamba
Healthcare workers put on personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to Ebola while treating patients.
DHSP also worked with regional partners to conduct IPC assessments and train workers at dozens of health facilities. Because the DRC is the second largest country in Africa—with an area roughly the size of western Europe—DHSP also developed a series of virtual IPC trainings through a free messaging app to enable workers from remote areas to attend. Currently, over 400 health providers participate in the ongoing training courses under the IPC community of practice platform.
IPC plays an important role in protecting health care workers, patients, visitors and the public.
“DRC is huge, and health care workers are spread out all over the country, so we wanted to connect everyone,” Dr. Kabamba said. “It’s about standardizing IPC practices across the entire Democratic Republic of Congo. Health care providers participate in the trainings—they learn the same things, and they practice the same way.”
The DRC has made significant progress in advancing IPC and protecting health workers, and the 2025 Ebola outbreak in rural Kasai underscores the continued risks health workers face and the urgent need to bolster IPC in all global health settings. In addition to the DRC, the Global Fund supports IPC in Nigeria, Tanzania, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Kenya; and CDC and the CDC Foundation provide technical assistance to these countries on implementing their IPC programs.
Strengthening IPC can protect and save lives and help prevent regional health threats from becoming global health crises.
The work described in this publication is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $3,000,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS, the U.S. Government, or the CDC Foundation.
