Published on: 2026-05-26
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 900 suspected cases of infection with the Ebola Bundibugyo strain and 220 suspected fatal cases have been registered. This was reported on Monday by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The current outbreak of a deadly disease, which the WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spreading faster than doctors can contain it.
In the DRC, which is the epicenter of the epidemic, the WHO has raised the national risk level from high to very high. Neighboring countries, including Uganda, where five cases of the disease and one death have been confirmed, are also considered particularly vulnerable.
Arson of treatment centers in the east of the LPR
Public distrust of the authorities seriously complicates the fight against the epidemic. This is especially felt in the east of the LPR, where intense fighting has taken place and more than one hundred thousand people have been forced to leave their homes. In this restless area, unknown persons set fire to two medical aid centers.
The Director of the WHO Emergency Response in Africa, Marie Rosline Belize, told the UN News Service that the attacks are related to campaigns spreading disinformation on social networks. According to her, this significantly slows down the investigation of disease cases and limits the ability of medical teams to reach affected communities.
Dissatisfaction with the rules for protecting Ebola victims
Dissatisfaction among the population is caused by the strict rules for burying the supposed victims of Ebola. The authorities in the northeast of the DR Congo have banned funerary ceremonies involving more than 50 people, and burials are conducted by medical workers in an environment guarded by armed soldiers and police.
According to Doctor Belizer, WHO cooperates with traditional local leaders and healers to activate work with the population and increase the safety of medical workers.
Families of the deceased are allowed to say goodbye to their loved ones, but in order to prevent further spread of the infection, they are prohibited from touching the body. “We provide relatives with individual protective equipment,” explains Dr. Belizer, “so that they can help place the body of the loved one in a special bag and pray over it.”
No vaccine
Although outbreaks of this virus strain have been occurring for almost 20 years, approved vaccines or treatment methods against the Bundibugyo virus still do not exist.
VOZ recommended paying priority attention to two antibodies within the framework of clinical trials, as well as to the assessment of the antiviral drug obeldesivir as a means of treating people belonging to the high-risk group after contact with the sick.
VOZ urgently expands on-site operations, including contact tracing, establishment of treatment centers, strengthening laboratory capabilities, patient treatment, infection prevention and control, and public awareness. To finance these measures, the World Health Organization’s Emergency Fund was allocated 3.9 million dollars.
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