Published on: 2026-05-19
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Ebola virus is spreading rapidly. Medics are trying to contain the transmission of the infection, but a vaccine against this strain may become available only in two months. This was reported on Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO representative in the DRC, Ann Ancia, stated via video link to journalists in Geneva that more than 500 suspected cases of the disease have been registered in the country, including 130 deaths, presumably linked to the virus. So far, only 30 infection cases have been confirmed in the laboratory.
VOZ closely cooperates with the authorities and directs additional test systems to the eastern part of the country to detect infections with the Bundibugyo virus – a variant of Ebola, against which currently there is neither a vaccine nor specialized treatment.
“There is a significant uncertainty regarding the number of infections and the scale of virus spread,” noted Ansia.
First cases
Speaking in Bunia in Ituri province, where the first cases were detected, the WHO representative reported that the outbreak has already affected North Kivu: confirmed cases have been registered in Butembo and Goma. Two “imported” cases of the disease have also been confirmed in Uganda.
On Sunday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesusannouncedan outbreak of an emergency situation in the field of public health, which has international significance. He expressed concern“scale and speed of epidemic spread”.Â
It is still unclear where and how the outbreak began.
“I don’t think that at the moment we have a ‘zero patient’,” Ansiya said. According to her, it is known that on May 5, a person died in Bunia. His body was delivered by the family to the Mongbwalu district, where relatives placed him in a coffin but then decided that he did not meet the status of deceased. The coffin was replaced, after which burials took place, and “that’s exactly where everything began,” Ansiya noted.
According to WHO data, one of the factors in the transmission of the Ebola virus infection may be funeral ceremonies accompanied by direct contact with the body of the deceased.
Complications during diagnosis
The identification of the first cases was complicated by the fact that local tests in Guinea showed a negative result for the Zaire strain of Ebola. Moreover, the wide range of symptoms – fever, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting – hindered rapid diagnosis. An additional problem was that bleeding from the nose, also characteristic of the disease, only manifested on the fifth day after infection, explained the WHO representative.
In the end, the presence of the Bundibugyo virus was confirmed only after conducting tests in Kinshasa.
There is no vaccine yet
Ancia reported that vaccines and treatment methods that could help fight the outbreak are now being discussed at the international level. On Tuesday, the WHO advisory technical group is holding a meeting to provide additional recommendations regarding the use of vaccines.
According to a representative of the organization, the possibility of using the “Ervebo” vaccine against the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus is being considered, but “it will take two months before it becomes available.”
Along with that, the WHO emphasizes that a key role in containing the spread of infection is played by working with the population – increasing awareness, combating misinformation, and observing sanitary measures, especially during funeral ceremonies.
“If we use coercive measures and the population does not agree with them, we will see bodies starting to disappear. We will see how people suspected of illness will refuse to seek medical help and go to hospitals and medical institutions,” Ansi warned, emphasizing that doctors continue to collaborate with schools, churches, and local leaders.
Complex humanitarian situation
VOZ supports the efforts of the DRK government: more than 40 specialists of the organization work on site, diagnostic capabilities are expanding, medical supplies are being sent there. At the same time, the situation remains “extremely difficult from an epidemiological, operational and humanitarian point of view”due to instability and population displacement, noted the WHO representative.
On Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more than two million internally displaced persons and returnees live in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, and the health system has been weakened by a longstanding conflict.
Concerns are also caused by the situation of refugees. In Ituri, preventive assistance is needed for approximately 11,000 refugees from South Sudan, and in the capital of North Kivu — Goma, controlled by rebels — sanitary supplies are required for more than two thousand refugees from Rwanda and Burundi.
The last outbreak of the Zaire Ebola strain in the DRC ended in December 2025, while the population still remembers the severe epidemic of 2018–2019 in North Kivu and Ituri.
Anse highlighted that although the vaccine may appear after two months, this does not mean that the outbreak will end.
“Remember the previous epidemic – it lasted two years,” she warned.
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