WHO Urges Congo Ceasefire as Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Kills 220
Updated
Updated · Forbes · May 28
WHO Urges Congo Ceasefire as Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Kills 220
14 articles · Updated · Forbes · May 28
Tedros Ghebreyesus traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo and appealed directly to militias for a ceasefire, warning health workers cannot isolate patients or build trust while fighting continues.
220 deaths have been recorded in an outbreak the WHO chief said is “outpacing us,” with lab tests confirming the Bundibugyo strain — a form of Ebola with no approved vaccine.
WHO is trying to expand diagnostic capacity to catch cases earlier, but officials say decades of ethnic conflict in Ituri, along with misinformation and distrust, are accelerating spread.
The crisis is already spilling across borders: Uganda has reported cases and shut its border with Congo, while Africa CDC says 10 African countries are now at risk.
Aid groups warn the combination of conflict, rapid transmission and global health funding cuts could push this outbreak beyond Congo’s 2018-2020 epidemic, which killed more than 2,290 people.
With militias attacking health workers, how can the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Congo be contained?
Without a specific vaccine, is using another Ebola shot a real solution or a desperate gamble?
Why is the US quarantining its citizens in Kenya instead of bringing them home for Ebola treatment?
2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Crisis: Rising Cases in DRC and Uganda, Global Health Emergency, and Urgent Need for Medical Solutions
Overview
As of late May 2026, the Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak remains a major public health threat, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda both reporting rising numbers of confirmed and suspected cases, as well as increasing deaths. In the DRC, the outbreak is centered in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, with over a hundred confirmed cases and many more suspected. Uganda has also seen cases linked to cross-border travel from the DRC. The situation is made worse by ongoing violence, which disrupts health efforts and data collection, and by the lack of approved treatments for this specific Ebola strain.