The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is finally catching up, even as 344 cases and 60 deaths have been confirmed across 24 health zones in three provinces. The update came at a press briefing in Geneva following Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's visit to the central African nation.

What the WHO chief said

“What I saw gave me hope, although challenges remain,” Tedros said, describing the level of commitment on the ground as encouraging. He added that the number of suspected cases has been brought down sharply to 116, from more than 1,000 a week ago — a sign that surveillance and triage are improving.

Tedros said the agency's risk assessment remains unchanged: very high at the national level, high regionally, and low globally. “The outbreak had a big head start, and we're still behind, but under the leadership of the Government of DRC, we are catching up,” he said.

The challenges that persist

Tedros flagged several bottlenecks: limited laboratory and diagnostic capacity that delays case confirmation, gaps in contact tracing, travel restrictions disrupting supply chains, community mistrust, and — critically — the absence of any licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic for the Bundibugyo strain driving this outbreak. That is a sharp contrast to the Zaire ebolavirus, for which approved vaccines and monoclonal therapies exist.

A recovery in Goma

In Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, a patient was discharged on Wednesday after being declared recovered by medical teams. “We are very happy. Her illness worried us deeply. Since she was hospitalised, none of us could go to work. We were all anxious,” said Kavira Kazadi, a family member.

The DRC government said that, as of Monday, six patients have recovered overall. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders reported that an 80-bed Ebola treatment centre has been set up in Goma, drawing on systems built during earlier epidemics in the region.

Operating in a conflict zone

Goma has been under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group since early 2025, and access to parts of North Kivu remains difficult amid continued insecurity. The WHO insisted it has maintained its footprint despite the volatility. “We have never left Kivu,” said Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa.

What happens next

The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May. With no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, the response will hinge on classical outbreak control — faster diagnostics, robust contact tracing, and community engagement — even as humanitarian access in eastern DRC remains contingent on the security situation.