THE WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) has intensified emergency response efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a worsening outbreak of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, with more than 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths already recorded.
Speaking during the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the outbreak presents a serious public health threat due to widespread population movement, insecurity in affected areas, and the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
According to WHO Representative in DRC, Dr Anne Ancia, only 30 of the suspected infections have so far been laboratory confirmed, underscoring the challenge of diagnosing and tracking the outbreak in remote and conflict-affected communities.
“We have significant uncertainty about the number of infections and how far the virus has spread,” Ancia said while briefing reporters from Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province where the outbreak was first detected.
The outbreak, officially declared on May 15, has since spread beyond Ituri into neighbouring North Kivu Province, with confirmed cases reported in the cities of Butembo and Goma.
Uganda has also confirmed two imported cases linked to travellers from the DRC, including one death in Kampala.
WHO also disclosed that an American doctor working with a medical missionary organisation in the DRC tested positive for Ebola and has been transferred to Germany for specialised treatment.
Health officials believe the outbreak may have originated from funeral practices in Mongbwalu after the death of an infected individual in Bunia on May 5.
According to Ancia, family members reportedly reopened a coffin during funeral arrangements, an act believed to have accelerated transmission within the community.
Initial detection of the outbreak was complicated because local tests returned negative results for the more common Zaire strain of Ebola.
The Bundibugyo virus was only identified after samples were analysed in Kinshasa. Health experts noted that the disease’s symptoms — including fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and fatigue — resemble many other illnesses, while the characteristic nosebleeds associated with Ebola often emerge several days after infection.
WHO warned that the outbreak is unfolding in a highly complex humanitarian and security environment marked by conflict, mass displacement and weak healthcare infrastructure.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said Ituri and North Kivu are home to more than two million internally displaced persons and returnees, while thousands of refugees in affected communities remain vulnerable and require urgent preventive support.
The situation is further complicated by intensified fighting in eastern DRC since late 2025, which has displaced more than 100,000 people in recent months. WHO noted that the affected region is also a major mining zone with constant population movement across borders, increasing the risk of wider transmission.
In response, WHO and the DRC government have deployed more than 40 health experts and emergency responders to affected areas.
Within 72 hours of the outbreak declaration, the agency delivered 11.5 tonnes of emergency medical supplies, including personal protective equipment, tents, medical kits, and water and sanitation materials from Kinshasa and regional emergency hubs in Dakar and Nairobi.
The response operation has been supported by the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), which provided air transport and logistics assistance to speed up the delivery of critical supplies.
WHO said additional teams are being mobilised to strengthen disease surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention, clinical care, and community engagement efforts aimed at curbing transmission.
Health officials stressed that community cooperation remains central to containing the outbreak, particularly in ensuring safe burial practices and combating misinformation.
“If we use coercive measures and the population does not agree, we will see bodies disappear. We will see suspected cases refusing to come to hospitals and health facilities,” Ancia warned.
WHO said there are currently no licensed vaccines or treatments specifically approved for the Bundibugyo virus strain. However, international experts are evaluating potential candidate vaccines and treatments that could help contain the outbreak.
A WHO technical advisory group met on Tuesday to review possible options, including the Ervebo vaccine developed for the Zaire strain of Ebola, although officials said it could take up to two months before any vaccine deployment becomes possible.
Despite the absence of vaccines, WHO emphasised that outbreaks can still be controlled through aggressive public health measures such as early detection, isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe burials and sustained community outreach.
Tedros announced that WHO had approved an additional 3.4 million dollars from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, bringing total emergency funding for the response to 3.9 million dollars.
He also commended Uganda for postponing its annual Martyrs’ Day celebrations, which typically attract millions of participants, in order to reduce the risk of cross-border transmission.
The WHO chief used the occasion of the World Health Assembly to highlight broader concerns about global health preparedness, warning that financial pressures and declining donor support are straining international health systems at a time when multiple humanitarian crises and disease outbreaks are emerging worldwide.
He, however, maintained that reforms undertaken by WHO over the past decade had strengthened the organisation’s emergency response capabilities and global pandemic preparedness systems.
The current outbreak is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976. The country’s previous Ebola outbreak, involving the Zaire strain, officially ended in December 2025.
