The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that escalating violence and humanitarian challenges in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are severely undermining efforts to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
In a statement issued on Saturday May 23, 2026, Tedros said intensified surveillance efforts in the DRC have led to the identification of more than 900 suspected Ebola cases, including 101 confirmed infections.
The outbreak is centred in Ituri Province, a conflict-hit region where nearly five million people live under difficult humanitarian conditions. According to the WHO chief, one in four residents in the province currently requires humanitarian assistance, while one in five has been internally displaced by violence.
Tedros noted that ongoing insecurity is forcing civilians, as well as health and humanitarian workers, to flee affected communities, making it increasingly difficult to carry out contact tracing and detect infections early enough to provide life-saving care.
“The violence is severely impeding efforts to scale up Ebola contact tracing and identify infections early enough to provide supportive care,” he said, adding that fear and insecurity are also fueling mistrust within communities.
Despite the challenges, the WHO and its humanitarian health partners say they continue to maintain operations across Ituri, including in some of the most inaccessible and insecure areas.
Health Cluster partners are currently supporting the delivery of critical healthcare services, including maternal and child healthcare, treatment for severe acute malnutrition, mental health support, wound care, assistance for survivors of sexual violence, routine immunisation, and community health services.
Tedros stressed that delivering a broad package of healthcare services is essential not only for meeting urgent medical needs, but also for building public trust needed to effectively combat the Ebola outbreak.
The latest update was issued by the WHO on 24 May 2026 as concerns grow over the impact of insecurity on disease containment efforts in eastern DRC.
CREDIT: Mavis Fantevi
