What you need to know about the Ebola outbreak
- The epicenter of the Ebola outbreak is in Ituri province in eastern DR Congo.
- Ebola has also been found in other parts of eastern DR Congo and Uganda
- At least 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 246 deaths have been recorded in DR Congo
- The outbreak was declared on May 15
- Health officials warned that the actual spread of the disease could be much larger.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday arrived in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing a serious Ebola outbreak.
He traveled to Ituri after meeting with Congolese officials in the country’s capital, Kinshasa.
In addition to Ituri, Ebola cases have also been found in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, as well as in neighboring Uganda.
Tedros is expected to visit a treatment center and meet with local officials, health workers and affected families in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri.
The Bundibugyo variant of the disease, which is causing the current outbreak, has no approved treatment or vaccine.
What is the status of the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda?
DR Congo has recorded at least 1,077 suspected cases of Ebola since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 246 people are believed to have died from the disease, according to the latest data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Its outbreak is concentrated in the north-east of the country, in the war-torn area along the border South Sudan and Uganda, which closed its border this week. at least nine There have been confirmed cases and one death.This has been reported in the capital Kampala.
Ebola spreads between people through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids or contaminated objects.
It can take up to 21 days for symptoms to appear, according to the WHO, which has warned that the reach of the outbreak is likely to be very wide.
DR Congo’s response to the outbreak has been hampered by cuts in international development aid, and WHO’s own funding has been limited after the United States withdrew from the body in January.
Eastern DR Congo has also been battling armed conflict for three decades.
Fighting between Kinshasa’s forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 militia resumed in 2022, with the rebels capturing large parts of eastern DR Congo, including major cities in North and South Kivu.
While DR Congo reached a US-brokered peace deal with the armed group in 2025, fighting has continued.
What did Tedros say about the outbreak in Ituri and eastern Congo?
WHO chief stresses the importance of international cooperation with Congolese authorities and local communities.
“The international community is involved in the leadership of the DRC government – and community ownership is also important,” Tedros told reporters.
“So we’re here to discuss with the community, to see how the response is going and what challenges there are to help.”
Tedros also urged countries to reconsider border control measures introduced to deal with the outbreak.
“Closing borders, as some countries have done, only discourages transparency. The Democratic Republic of Congo is reporting the situation openly and transparently,” he said.
Edited by: Carl Sexton
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