WHO Lifts Congo Ebola Risk to Very High as 750 Suspected Cases Outpace Response
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 22
WHO Lifts Congo Ebola Risk to Very High as 750 Suspected Cases Outpace Response
21 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 22
WHO on Friday raised its Ebola risk assessment inside Congo to “very high,” saying the outbreak is spreading rapidly in Ituri province while the risk of global spread remains low.
Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been recorded, alongside 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths, and WHO said the true outbreak is likely larger as surveillance improves.
Ituri’s response is being slowed by scarce protective gear, weak health infrastructure and public anger fueled by misinformation; youths burned a treatment center in Rwampara after being blocked from retrieving a body.
$60 million from the U.N. emergency fund and $23 million pledged by the U.S. are being mobilized, but local aid workers say clinics near Bunia still lack basic equipment and Uganda said it knew of no U.S.-backed treatment center yet.
More than 920,000 displaced people and ongoing militant violence in Ituri are compounding the crisis, leaving aid groups warning that the window to contain the outbreak is narrowing.
The U.S. pledged millions for 50 Ebola clinics, but Uganda is unaware. Is the international response already in chaos?
A rare Ebola strain has no vaccine and evades tests. How can officials contain an outbreak they can barely track?
Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Triggers WHO International Emergency: 246 Suspected Cases, 80 Deaths in DRC and Uganda
Overview
On May 21, 2026, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This urgent decision followed consultations with affected countries and was strongly supported by the International Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, highlighting the seriousness of the situation and the need for immediate global action. The outbreak began in Ituri Province, where WHO was alerted to a deadly, unknown disease affecting even healthcare workers, signaling the start of a crisis that required swift international attention.