Ebola official government surveillance and response system activated in DRC by RTI International 

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — As the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confronts its 17th Ebola outbreak, declared May 15, 2026, RTI International, an independent scientific research institute, rapidly activated an integrated digital surveillance system to support national and field-level response efforts.  

With funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), RTI is leading digitization efforts for the outbreak surveillance pillar, overseeing the data system used for case investigation and reporting, contact monitoring and community alerts. The platform integrates case, contact, laboratory and community data into a single, real-time view and has been designated as the official system for outbreak surveillance and response.  

“Because this system had been used in the previous Ebola outbreak and was familiar to our response teams, we were able to move immediately from activation to action; that speed is helping make informed decisions to save lives,” said Dr. Bonaventure Ngoyi, RTI’s response lead in DRC. “Continuity is critical in the early days of an outbreak, when decisions depend on timely, accurate information from the field.” 

Within 24 hours of the declaration, RTI activated the surveillance platform in coordination with the National Ebola Response Task Force, led by the government of DRC. The system had previously been deployed during the 2025 Bulape Ebola response and was already recognized as the official outbreak data system, facilitating its rapid use in response to the current outbreak.  

“RTI has worked in the DRC for over a decade to strengthen its surveillance system in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners,” said Dr. Ngoyi, “These long-standing relationships and investments have established trust, deep system familiarity and the foundation needed to quickly support government-led outbreak responses such as the current outbreak in the Ituri and North Kivu Provinces.” 

The surveillance platform allows immediate access to data needed for outbreak monitoring and real-time information sharing across national and field teams. Data from the platform was available from the earliest days of the response, informing decisions and feeding into critical Situation Reports that track where and how the outbreak spreads. Data managers were deployed to the outbreak epicenter to reinforce data quality and support effective use of the system at the field level. 

According to the CDC, Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness in humans which is transmitted through close contact with infected body fluids from someone who is sick with the disease, as well as contaminated objects and certain infected animals. 

Training is scheduled to launch this week for 54 provincial and frontline health workers. It will support real-time case reporting, including in remote areas, and strengthen local capacity for timely case detection, surveillance and response. As response activities continue, the RTI-led system will remain central to data sharing, coordination and decision-making. 
 

Learn about RTI's global health security efforts

Lessons learned from reinforcing surveillance during the 2017 outbreak in DRC 

Learn how digital health tools helped speed Ebola case detection in Kasaï