World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has disclosed that more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola have been identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the country scales up disease surveillance, with 101 cases confirmed so far. The outbreak, centred in Ituri province, has already been declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — the WHO's highest alert level — since 16 May 2025.

Crisis at the Epicentre

Ituri province, where the outbreak is concentrated, is home to nearly 5 million people living amid active armed conflict. According to Tedros, one in four residents requires humanitarian assistance and one in five is internally displaced. The volatile security environment is directly hampering the Ebola response.

'The violence is forcing people to flee, including health and humanitarian workers. This is severely impeding efforts to scale up Ebola contact tracing and identify infections early enough to provide supportive care,' Tedros said, adding that insecurity and fear are also fuelling deep mistrust within affected communities.

WHO's Risk Assessment Upgraded

On 22 May 2025, the WHO revised its risk assessment for the outbreak to 'very high' at the national level, while maintaining it at 'high' at the regional level and 'low' globally. The escalation follows the initial PHEIC declaration on 16 May, when Tedros determined that the Ebola disease — caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain — in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda posed an international public health threat.

Healthcare Delivery as a Trust-Building Tool

The WHO and humanitarian health partners maintain an operational presence across Ituri, including in some of the most insecure and hard-to-reach zones. Tedros emphasised that delivering a comprehensive package of healthcare services is essential — not only to address urgent medical needs, but also to build community trust, which is critical for an effective Ebola response. Communities in the region face not just Ebola but a broad range of diseases compounded by displacement and conflict.

About the Bundibugyo Virus and Ebola's History

Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates, with an average case fatality rate of approximately 50%. Rates in past outbreaks have ranged from 25% to 90%. The virus spreads to humans from wild animals — including fruit bats, porcupines, and non-human primates — and then transmits person-to-person through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or contaminated surfaces.

The first Ebola outbreaks were recorded in remote villages of Central Africa near tropical rainforests. The deadliest on record was the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which began in Guinea before spreading to Sierra Leone and Liberia — causing more cases and deaths than all previous outbreaks combined since the virus was first identified in 1976.

What Comes Next

With surveillance expanding and the case count expected to rise further, the international community faces pressure to accelerate support for contact tracing, healthcare worker protection, and community engagement in conflict-affected Ituri. The WHO's PHEIC designation is intended to unlock coordinated global resources, though insecurity on the ground remains the central obstacle to containment.