WHO Chief Says DRC Ebola Response is "Catching Up" as Case Backlog Clears
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has reported cautious progress in the Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while warning that significant challenges remain. Briefing journalists in Geneva on 3 June 2026 following a visit to the DRC, Tedros confirmed 344 cases and 60 deaths in the country, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain for which no licensed treatment currently exists. Critically, the number of suspected cases has fallen sharply from over 1,000 last week to 116, as response teams work through the backlog. Three Ebola treatment centres are now operational in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, with a combined capacity of 80 beds, and treatment units have been established in five additional regional cities. Uganda has recorded 15 confirmed cases and one death, including a Congolese resident who travelled from the United Arab Emirates, while an infected American citizen is receiving care in Germany.
Tedros outlined several ongoing obstacles to bringing the outbreak under control, including insufficient laboratory and diagnostic capacity, low contact tracing rates - currently at approximately 45 per cent against a target of over 90 per cent - and community mistrust, with some local leaders reportedly denying the existence of Ebola. He called on countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them, noting that such measures are disrupting supply chains and hindering the response, and recommended exit screening at airports, ports, and border crossings instead. WHO's global risk assessment remains low, though national and regional risk levels remain very high and high respectively. Tedros emphasised that ending the outbreak ultimately depends not on biomedical solutions alone, but on "leadership, ownership, partnership and trust."
Source: United Nations News