Editor’s note: This article was first published here by VillageReach, a Direct Relief partner organization responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All photographs by Josué Kumbi.

During an Ebola outbreak, every hour matters. Rapid laboratory confirmation helps health authorities isolate cases, trace contacts, and respond quickly to stop further transmission.

Early in the Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province, samples collected for diagnosis often experienced backlogs while awaiting transfer to satellite laboratories for testing. To help address this challenge, VillageReach supported the government by deploying a dedicated vehicle as an emergency adaptation to strengthen the Ebola response.

The vehicle enabled the safe and timely transfer of specimens from treatment centers such as Rwampara, located nearly 20 kilometers from the provincial laboratory, with multiple collection rounds conducted each day to support rapid testing and diagnosis.

This photo essay highlights the people,…