Nation / PlaceCD

Katwa

Health zone of Butembo, North Kivu, DR Congo.

Katwa, a health zone covering part of Butembo, was North Kivu's worst-hit Ebola zone by 5 September 2026, with 445 confirmed cases and 291 deaths, as the Butembo area became the centre of the province's surge.

Last refreshed: 4 October 2026

Timeline for Katwa

#14 23 Sept

Mentioned in: Ebola shifts south to DR Congo's Butembo

Pandemics and Biosecurity

#14 23 Sept

Mentioned in: UDPS official beaten to death in Butembo

Pandemics and Biosecurity

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Background

Katwa is a health zone covering part of Butembo, the trading city in DR Congo's North Kivu Province. Health zones are the units in which DR Congo counts and fights an outbreak, so Katwa's figures sit beside those of the Butembo and Beni zones in every national report.

In the 2018-2020 Zaire ebolavirus epidemic, arsonists burned the MSF treatment centres in Katwa and Butembo in late February 2019, and MSF suspended work in both. Katwa then lagged in clearing the virus, alongside Butembo, until WHO declared that epidemic over on 25 June 2020. In the 2026 Bundibugyo outbreak Katwa again leads the province, holding 445 of North Kivu's 1,000 confirmed cases in the 5 September situation report.

Key Issues

Ebola outbreak

Katwa carries North Kivu's heaviest toll

DR Congo's national situation report for 5 September 2026 recorded 445 confirmed cases and 291 deaths in Katwa, the most of any North Kivu health zone. Butembo health zone had 204 and Beni 163, out of 1,000 across the province. Katwa lies inside the Butembo area that MSF put at the centre of North Kivu's rise on 2 October, when the province supplied nearly 40% of new national cases.

Katwa has a single 20-bed treatment unit, rebuilt by the NGO Medair, which opened in June 2026. On 26 September 11 cured patients left it in a single day, the first time more than ten had walked out together, taking its recoveries to 92.

Common Questions

How many Ebola cases are there in Katwa?

DR Congo's situation report for 5 September 2026 recorded 445 confirmed cases and 291 deaths in Katwa, the most of any North Kivu health zone.Source: https://insp.cd/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SitRep_MVEBDB_114_05_09_2026.pdf

Is there an Ebola treatment centre in Katwa?

Yes. A 20-bed centre rebuilt by Medair opened in June 2026, and it had discharged 92 cured patients by 26 September.Source: https://actualite.cd/2026/09/27/ebola-au-nord-kivu-pour-la-premiere-fois-plus-dune-dizaine-de-gueris-sortent-du-cte-de

What happened in Katwa during the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic?

Arsonists burned the MSF treatment centres in Katwa and Butembo in February 2019, and both areas stayed the slowest to clear.Source: MSF

Source Material

Mise en service du centre de traitement d'Ebola de Katwa Rapport de situation MVE N°114