Ebola risk raised to ‘very high’ in DR Congo
Workers stand guard at the gate of the Kibuli Muslim Hospital where a Congolese man died of Ebola Bundibugyo virus in Kibuli suburb of Kampala, Uganda May 16, 2026. REUTERS/Abubaker LubowaBy Danielle Haynes UPI
World Health Organization Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that the suspected number of deaths from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is 177, far surpassing the seven confirmed deaths.
Uganda has confirmed three new cases of Ebola, bringing the total number of infections in the current outbreak there to five, the health ministry said on Saturday, as authorities stepped up contact tracing to contain the spread.
During an update on Friday, the WHO raised the risk of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC to “very high.”
The organization deemed the spread of the virus an emergency of international concern on Sunday. The international health organization, which is an arm of the United Nations, said the outbreak doesn’t meet the criteria of a pandemic, but the spread of the virus could be bigger than currently known.
There have been 82 confirmed non-fatal cases, which experts think could be as high as 750. In Uganda, there are two confirmed cases and one death.
“These numbers are changing as surveillance efforts and laboratory testing is improving, but violence and insecurity are impeding the response,” Tedros said Friday in an update on the outbreak.
He said the WHO has deployed personnel to Ituri province, DRC, considered the epicenter of the outbreak.
“I am in regular contact with government officials to coordinate response actions,” Tedros said.
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