WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that the number of suspected Ebola cases in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda has surpassed 500, with 130 suspected deaths. Speaking at the 79th World Health Assembly, Tedros expressed “deep concern about the magnitude and speed of the epidemic,” noting that the responsible strain, Bundibugyo, has no approved vaccine or treatment.
So far, 30 cases have been confirmed in the Congolese province of Ituri, along with two confirmed cases in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, both originating from the DRC. An infected American citizen was evacuated to Germany. Tedros warned that “cases have been reported in urban areas, such as Kampala and the city of Goma,” which increases the risk of spread and complicates containment efforts.
The director-general also reported that “there have been deaths among health workers, indicating transmission associated with medical care.” The Ituri region faces “great insecurity” due to the resurgence of conflict since late 2025, with more than 100,000 people displaced. “We already know what displacement means during Ebola outbreaks,” Tedros said, noting that the lack of a vaccine requires measures such as risk communication and community engagement.
The WHO released $3.4 million (about €2.9 million) to combat the outbreak, bringing the total funds made available to $3.9 million (approximately €3.4 million). Tedros thanked the Ugandan government for postponing Martyrs' Day celebrations, which could have gathered up to two million people, due to the epidemic risk.
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya reported that 435 suspected cases and 118 suspected deaths have been detected in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, with two new health zones — Katwa and Goma — being added to the affected areas. “Our teams are working to identify suspected cases. These cases are still being analyzed to determine if they are truly linked to the virus,” Muyaya said, urging calm and recommending avoiding physical contact and eating undercooked meat.
The rebel group March 23 Movement (M23), which controls areas of North Kivu and South Kivu, said it had identified 189 contacts and sent samples to the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB). “Of the available results, five are negative, while the rest await analysis,” said spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka, adding that “currently there is only one confirmed case in the liberated zones, which is being treated in Goma.”
The average fatality rate for Ebola is about 50%. Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and headache, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and signs of kidney and liver failure. The DRC, which declared the end of the last Ebola outbreak in Kasai in December 2025, is considered the country with the most experience in managing the virus, having faced more than a dozen outbreaks since its identification in 1976.