WHO Director General ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Ebola Outbreak in DRC

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over the scale and speed of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tedros reported at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths in DRC since the outbreak began. Thirty cases have been confirmed in DRC’s northeastern province of Ituri, and one death and one case were confirmed in Kampala, Uganda. He added that one U.S. citizen tested positive and was transferred to Germany, as reported by the U.S.

“These numbers will change as field operations are scaling up, including strengthening surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory testing,” Tedros told the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Tedros declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern early Sunday, the first time a WHO director general has made such a declaration before convening an emergency committee. “I did not do this lightly,” he said.

The WHO will convene its emergency committee Tuesday to advise on recommendations for controlling the outbreak.

Tedros said reports of cases in urban areas, where the virus typically spreads more easily, were also a cause for concern.

Cases among health workers indicated potential spread in clinics and hospitals, he said, and there was “significant population movement in the area” due to work and conflict.

Ituri province, where most cases have been reported, was “highly insecure,” Tedros said. “Conflict has intensified since late 2025, and the fighting has escalated significantly over the past two months resulting in civilian deaths. Over 100,000 people have been newly displaced. And in Ebola outbreaks, you know what displacement means.”

The Bundibugyo virus, the strain causing the outbreak, has no vaccines or treatments.

Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have been recorded in DRC and Uganda, this is only the third time the Bundibugyo virus has been detected. Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu’s rebel-held capital of Goma, Mongbwalu, Butembo and Nyakunde.