Ebola in DRC: European MSF healthcare worker evacuated to the Netherlands

A European staff member of the organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was evacuated to the Netherlands on Thursday, October 1, 2026, after contracting the Ebola virus. According to information reported by RFI, the healthcare worker was infected in the Beni area, located in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The NGO confirmed that the infection is of the Bundibugyo strain.

Congolese Minister of Health, Roger Kamba, stated that DRC authorities quickly authorized this medical transfer at the request of MSF. The evacuation took place directly from the city of Beni aboard a special flight, thereby avoiding a transit through Kinshasa. The patient is set to be treated within a highly secure isolation unit at the Leiden University Medical Center.

This medical evacuation is not a first since the beginning of the health crisis. The Minister of Health recalled that two American nationals had already been transferred from Bunia to Berlin for similar reasons. Roger Kamba emphasized, however, that infections among frontline healthcare professionals have generally decreased across the national territory.

The minister also revealed that the evacuated healthcare worker had not yet received a vaccine against the disease. While the vaccination campaign has already begun in the neighboring Ituri province with the support of MSF, it is still in the preparation phase in the Beni area. This situation comes as the Ebola epidemic has already caused nearly 4,000 deaths in the DRC as of September 29, 2026.

Our perspective

This medical evacuation serves as a reminder of the extreme vulnerability of health workers in the face of epidemics in Africa. It also highlights the absolute urgency of strengthening the continent's health sovereignty. Guaranteeing priority and rapid access to vaccines for all local teams and securing African medical infrastructure are essential steps to protect with dignity those who fight on the front lines.