Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Ethiopian and politician, Director-General of the World Health Organization
Photo: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 2d ago
WHO says Russia has not confirmed cause of death of woman lab worker in Irkutsk
The WHO says Russia has not confirmed a cause of death for a 28-year-old woman lab worker in Irkutsk and has seen no evidence of ongoing transmission. Russian authorities say no plague case was recorded in the region and point to pneumonia of undetermined cause.
- 4d ago
WHO says cause of Russian lab worker's death still unknown, no plague case found
Russia told the WHO that no plague case has been recorded after a worker at an Irkutsk research institute died in early October. The agency says the cause of death is still unknown and has asked for more clinical and laboratory data.
- 6d ago
China nominates health official Song Li to succeed Tedros as WHO director-general
Beijing announced on Thursday that Song Li, a senior public health official, is its candidate to succeed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, whose term ends on 15 August 2027. The World Health Assembly is due to choose the next director-general in May 2027.
- Oct 6
Russia denies second plague case after Siberian lab worker's death, WHO seeks data
Russian authorities say reports of a second plague patient are false, while the WHO has asked Moscow for information about the death of lab worker Darya Shipilova in Irkutsk, Siberia.
- Sep 2
DR Congo Ebola deaths surpass 3,000 as Bundibugyo outbreak spreads across six provinces
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 3,007 people among 6,186 confirmed cases, making it the country's deadliest epidemic on record as health authorities struggle with the Bundibugyo strain.
- Aug 19
WHO warns DRC Ebola outbreak is not under control as deaths pass 2,300
The World Health Organization warned that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains uncontrolled, with nearly 5,000 infections and over 2,300 fatalities across six provinces.
- Aug 10
WHO humanitarian warehouse destroyed in Dnipro as overnight strikes kill five across Ukraine and Russia
A WHO humanitarian medical warehouse in Dnipro was struck and destroyed on Friday, with staff managing to evacuate 130 of roughly 300 pallets before the attack. Overnight strikes across Ukraine and Russia killed at least five civilians on day 1,627 of the conflict.
- Aug 7
Congo's Ebola outbreak surpasses 4,000 cases as unpaid health workers protest and vaccine plan expands
The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record has exceeded 4,000 confirmed cases in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with health workers unpaid since mid-May and authorities expanding a Zaire-strain vaccine as a stop-gap against the Bundibugyo virus.
- Jul 3
Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 438, reaches Kisangani 600 km from epicentre; WHO starts clinical trial
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 438 people out of 1,406 cases, with a newly confirmed case in Kisangani, 600 km from the Ituri epicentre, raising fears of wider spread. The World Health Organization has launched a clinical trial for the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or treatment exists.
- Jun 30
European heatwave claims 1,300 lives in a week, records shatter from Germany to Poland before a stormy break
The WHO reports more than 1,300 heat-related deaths since 21 June as Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary all break national temperature records. A brief cool-down is expected from Thursday before the anticyclone rebuilds.
- Jun 29
France arrests parents after 15-month-old twins die of dehydration in heatwave
Two 15-month-old twin girls were found dead in their beds in Beuvrages, northern France, on Monday, with dehydration suspected as the cause amid a severe heatwave. Their parents have been taken into custody.
- Jun 28
All-time temperature records fall in Germany, Poland and Czech Republic amid European heatwave; 1,300 dead
National heat records tumbled across Central Europe on Sunday as temperatures soared past 41°C, while the World Health Organization said the week-long heatwave had claimed more than 1,300 lives.
- Jun 28
Europe heatwave kills at least 1,300, France reports 1,000 excess deaths in one week
The WHO reports 1,300 excess deaths in Europe since 21 June, while France alone records around 1,000 more fatalities in the past week.
- Jun 5
CDC warns Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DR Congo could rival 2014 West Africa crisis as cases surge past 470
The CDC warned on Friday that the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could become as large as the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic without strong public health interventions, as confirmed cases rose by 100 in a single day.
- May 31
Ebola scare in Sardinia ends with negative test as Italy maintains low-risk stance
A Congolese man who returned to Sardinia from Kinshasa and developed symptoms has tested negative for Ebola, Italian health authorities confirmed on Monday, ending a brief isolation alert in Cagliari.
- May 30
Five Ebola patients recover in DR Congo as WHO chief opens new treatment center in Bunia amid rapidly spreading outbreak
Five people have recovered from the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in eastern DR Congo, the WHO chief announced Sunday, offering a rare glimmer of hope as the outbreak surpasses 1,000 suspected cases and 246 deaths.
- May 29
WHO chief arrives in DR Congo as Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak kills over 200, calls for ceasefire and clinical trials
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus landed in Kinshasa on Thursday evening, vowing the deadly Bundibugyo-strain Ebola outbreak can be stopped, as the WHO pushes for clinical trials on vaccines and treatments.
- May 28
WHO Chief Rushes to Congo as Rare, Vaccine-Less Ebola Strain Spirals Into Third-Largest Outbreak
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo as an Ebola outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain—which has no approved vaccine or treatment—surges past 1,000 suspected cases and 246 suspected deaths, prompting international emergency measures.
- May 28
Uganda Closes Border with Congo Over Ebola Outbreak, Defying WHO Advice, as Canada and US Impose Travel Bans
Uganda has shut its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to a growing Ebola outbreak, as Canada, the Bahamas and the U.S. impose their own travel restrictions.
- May 27
Ebola Outbreak in DRC and Uganda Triggers Global Travel Restrictions and Contact-Tracing Crisis
A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak of the vaccine-resistant Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spilled into Uganda and prompted a cascade of international travel restrictions, with the WHO warning that the epidemic is outpacing response efforts amid violence and funding shortages.
