Published on: 2026-05-22
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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The scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is growing faster than expected, and currently the World Health Organization (WHO) is reassessing risk assessments. This was stated by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a briefing in Geneva, emphasizing that the situation requires immediate strengthening of international response measures.
According to the head of the organization, the risk of virus spread within the DPR is now assessed as “very high”, at the regional level – “high”, and at the global level remains “low”.
As of today, 82 cases of illness and seven deaths have been confirmed in the country. Meanwhile, the number of suspected cases is approaching 750, and the number of suspected deaths is approaching 177.
In neighboring Uganda, the situation remains stable: two cases have been identified among people arriving from the DRC, one of which ended fatally. WHO considers that the measures taken by the Ugandan authorities, including intensive contact tracing and the cancellation of mass events, helped prevent further spread of the virus.
Among the sick is a U.S. citizen who worked in the DRC and was evacuated to Germany. Another American with suspected Ebola was transported to treatment in China.
UN agencies have allocated more than 60 million dollars to fight the outbreak
WHO is strengthening support to national authorities: 22 international specialists have been deployed to DR Congo, and 3.9 million dollars have been allocated from the WHO emergency reserve fund.
The head of the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, allocated 60 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund to combat Ebola.
“The humanitarian community is fully mobilized,” Fletcher said. “As during previous outbreaks, Dr. Tedros and his colleagues from the World Health Organization lead this work.”
VOZ helps local authorities with tracking contacts of infected individuals, establishing treatment centers, informing the population, and other response measures.
A particular difficulty is that the outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or therapeutic agent. According to the head of the WHO, options under consideration include the use of monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs.
The situation is further complicated by security problems in the area: in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces, hostilities continue, forcing more than 100,000 people to leave their homes.
Yesterday, in one of the hospitals in Ituri, tents where medical supplies were kept were set on fire. The WHO believes that this incident, which occurred after relatives were denied the body of the deceased patient, reflects growing distrust and fear amidst the crisis that medical staff are trying to contain with strict measures, sometimes conflicting with local traditions, including burial rites.
“Creating an atmosphere of trust with local communities is a critically important task,” emphasized Gebreyesus.
Risk of infection among women is higher than among men
Women and girls are most likely to face the highest risk of Ebola infection during the current outbreak due to their role in caring for the sick and active participation in community work. This was warned on Friday by the “UN Women” structure.
In addition, during Ebola outbreaks, women die more often than men, according to a statement published on Friday. The reason is not that the disease progresses more severely in them after infection, but that they are more often infected.
“The spread of Ebola follows social realities,” the statement says. “The virus is transmitted during the care of the sick, domestic work, work on the frontline in the healthcare system, and caregiving practices. When people are ill, it is women who care for them.”
Support for the operation of radio stations
The UN stabilization mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has equipped four radio stations in the Ituri province with solar energy systems and new broadcasting equipment worth $50,000. The RSI, Radio Candip, RTK, and RTNC radio stations received six solar panels, a battery system, an inverter, and lightning protection, which allowed them to provide stable broadcasting under conditions of chronic electricity shortage.
The project is aimed not only at the technical strengthening of local CMCs but also at enhancing their role in informing the population, especially against the backdrop of the Ebola outbreak in Ituri. Radio stations broadcasting in several local languages have become a key tool in disseminating reliable information and warnings. “We can now produce and broadcast programs all day long, including messages about Ebola in local languages,” said Radio Candip director Freddy Lorima Dzu’bo, emphasizing that without UN support the station might have ceased operations.
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