WHO warns Ebola outbreak risk now 'very high' in DR Congo

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The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high,” warning the outbreak could accelerate rapidly. With no approved vaccine or treatment available, health officials are racing to contain the virus and prevent wider regional spread.

Issued on: 22/05/2026 - 16:45

1 min Reading time Share By: FRANCE 24

The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo ​strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high".

The strain, for which there is no approved vaccine ​or treatment, was ‌declared an emergency of international concern by the ⁠WHO on Sunday.

"We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, ‌high at the regional level, and low at global level," WHO ⁠Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

So far, 82 cases have been confirmed in Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, 177 suspected ​deaths and almost 750 suspected cases. The situation in Uganda ‌is stable, with two cases confirmed in people who travelled from the DRC, one of them fatal, Tedros said.

"The potential of this virus spreading rapidly ‌is high, very high, and that changed the whole dynamic," said Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO Director of Health ​Emergency Alert & Response Operations.

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Measures taken in Uganda, including intense contact tracing and cancellation of a mass gathering, appear to have been effective in stemming the spread ​of the virus, Tedros said.

A US national who was working ​in Congo has been confirmed positive and transferred to ​Germany for care.

Read moreWHO says risk of global Ebola spread is low, but high at national, regional levels

"We are also aware of reports today about another American national with a high-risk ​contact who has been transferred to the Czech Republic," Tedros added.

The WHO's chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said an antiviral treatment called Obeldesivir could be used among Ebola contacts to prevent them developing the disease. Obeldesivir is an experimental ⁠oral Covid antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences.

"This is a promising treatment drug, but it has ⁠still to ​be implemented under a very, very strict protocol," Briand said.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

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