WHO warns DRC Ebola outbreak is not under control as deaths pass 2,300

Escalation across provinces

The World Health Organization convened the second meeting of its Ebola Emergency Committee in Geneva following the continued expansion of the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. DRC authorities declared the country's seventeenth Ebola outbreak on 15 May 2026, several weeks after initial transmissions began in northern and eastern territories. On 17 May 2026, the WHO designated the situation a public health emergency of international concern, its second-highest alert level. The pathogen has since spread across 55 health zones in six provinces, infecting nearly 5,000 people and killing more than 2,300. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opened the committee session by warning that the response continues to lag behind transmission.

Nearly 5,000 people have now been infected and more than 2,300 have died, across six provinces and 55 health zones. Let's be frank: the outbreak is far from under control.

Comparative scale and regional spread

The current epidemic is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded and is expanding faster than any previous wave. Data from the Africa CDC indicates that over its first three months, the DRC recorded seven times as many infections and five times as many deaths as the first three months of the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which ultimately killed over 11,300 people. On Monday, the death toll also exceeded that of the 2018–2020 eastern DRC outbreak, which registered 2,299 deaths from 3,381 confirmed cases. The WHO assesses the public health risk as very high for the DRC, high for neighboring countries, and low for the rest of Africa and the wider world. Uganda has documented 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, reporting in mid-July that it had cleared all active infections within its borders.

Transmission drivers and response challenges

Containment operations in northern and eastern DRC face systemic barriers from armed conflict, weak public infrastructure, and continuous civilian displacement. Heavy movement of travelers along road networks, waterways, and mining access corridors continues to facilitate virus transmission across provincial lines. Health officials are particularly concerned that many infected individuals are dying outside medical treatment units and without appearing on contact tracing rosters. The WHO is prioritizing enhanced community surveillance to strengthen local trust and improve public participation in health measures. Tedros urged international donors to provide sustained funding, faster epidemiological data sharing, and stronger cross-border coordination.

Three months ago, I declared the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the DRC to be a public health emergency of international concern. Since then, the outbreak has spread rapidly and the risk of further national and international spread remains high.

Vaccine trials and international recommendations

Clinical research teams have introduced candidate medical countermeasures to address the Bundibugyo virus strain. For the first time, two candidate vaccines designed specifically against Bundibugyo have advanced into human clinical trials. Simultaneously, the international WHO-sponsored Partners clinical trial has enrolled 100 patients to test therapeutic treatments. Following the committee deliberations, Tedros confirmed on social media platform X that the outbreak will retain its status as a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO plans to publish updated operational recommendations for the DRC and neighboring governments in the coming days, urging global partners to mobilize resources to protect vulnerable communities over the coming months.