Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC spreads as WHO warns response lagging

The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains out of control. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva after a visit to the affected east, reported 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths in the DRC, with 15 additional cases in neighboring Uganda. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo variant, which standard tests initially missed. Only 45 % of contacts have been isolated, far below the >90 % needed to stop spread, and the disease has gained a “head start,” Tedros warned.

Aid shortages worsen the crisis. The United States and Germany have reduced development assistance, limiting medicines, test kits, laboratory capacity, disinfectants, and health‑worker support needed for contact tracing and treatment. Armed conflict and community mistrust further impede response. WHO is helping expand testing, accelerating vaccine and therapeutic development, and urging greater funding. Recent progress includes the discharge of five patients, among them frontline health workers, after successful treatment.