Two young doctors die of Ebola in DRC within 48 hours as outbreak worsens

Two young doctors die of Ebola in DRC within 48 hours as outbreak worsens - Dr Marie-France Shogogo and Dr Samuel Safari. (Photo: Handout)

The deaths underscore the risks involved in responding to the epidemic and the need to adequately equip frontline healthcare workers to prevent further losses in the region.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has this week lost two medical doctors to Ebola, bringing the number of healthcare professionals reported to have died from the ongoing epidemic in recent months to three.

The two, Dr Marie-France Shogogo and Dr Samuel Safari, died of Ebola virus disease on October 27 and 29, respectively, in North Kivu and Ituri. The first doctor to succumb to the epidemic was Dr Charles Mbusa Munyumu, a neurosurgeon who died on August 10, 2026, at the Katwa Ebola Treatment Centre.

According to local media reports, Dr Safari died on Thursday, October 29, in Lwemba, Ituri province, where he worked at a health facility. The medical graduate had practised for only two years, having studied in Goma, North Kivu, before moving to Ituri to practise medicine.

Dr Shogogo, meanwhile, died on Tuesday after succumbing to the disease at the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Beni, North Kivu. She graduated from the University of Goma's Faculty of Medicine three years earlier and was among the healthcare professionals involved in caring for patients.

In a message posted on his X account, Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), expressed his sorrow at her passing.

“I met Dr Marie-France Shogogo during my visit to Beni. A young doctor, she had chosen to dedicate her life to saving the lives of others. Yesterday, we lost her to Ebola. It is deeply painful and outrageous to continue losing young health professionals who risk their lives to save those of others. We must protect those who protect us,” he said, calling on those accountable to do everything in their power to end the epidemic and protect frontline healthcare workers in honour of her memory.

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The deaths underscore the risks involved in responding to the epidemic and the need to adequately equip frontline healthcare workers to prevent further losses in the region.

As of Tuesday this week, the DRC had recorded 10,193 confirmed Ebola cases, including 4,960 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 48.7 per cent, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

Fifty-two new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours, including 31 in Ituri, 16 in North Kivu, three in Tshopo and two in Haut-Uélé.

Eight provinces in eastern DRC are now affected by the epidemic: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uélé, Bas-Uélé, Sud-Ubangi and Nord-Ubangi. Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak.

As of October 25, the province had recorded 7,211 confirmed cases and 3,370 deaths, compared with 2,309 cases and 1,293 deaths in North Kivu. In the Mandima health zone alone, 328 deaths and nearly 400 confirmed cases were recorded during October.

The epidemic continues to spread. Between October 20 and 27, the number of confirmed cases rose from 9,704 to 10,193, while the number of deaths increased from 4,687 to 4,960, representing 489 additional cases and 273 additional deaths in a single week.