World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Kinshasa on 29 May to personally assess the Ebola outbreak gripping the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), calling the situation 'very complex' and citing conflict, insecurity, displacement, food shortages, and community mistrust as the primary obstacles to containment.

What Tedros Said on Arrival

Speaking to reporters late Thursday at the Kinshasa airport shortly after landing, Tedros said he had made the trip to demonstrate to affected communities that 'they are not alone' and that the WHO stood ready to support the response. He confirmed that WHO teams are already deployed on the ground in Bunia, the capital of the eastern Ituri province, and that he would travel there on Friday to assess conditions directly.

Tedros reiterated his earlier call for a ceasefire in areas affected by armed attacks, stressing that conflict and insecurity remain among the most significant factors hampering the public health response.

On Travel Bans: WHO Advises Against Restrictions

When asked about travel restrictions imposed by some countries on travellers from the DRC, Tedros was unequivocal: 'A travel ban is not advised by WHO,' he said, explaining that such measures may delay transmission by only a few days at most. 'The best approach is to intensify measures at the source and provide support,' he added.

Tedros also warned that travel bans carry negative public health consequences beyond their limited effectiveness. Countries that report outbreaks transparently may feel penalised by such restrictions, he cautioned, potentially discouraging early and open reporting — a dynamic that could make future outbreaks harder to detect and contain.

Scale of the Outbreak

According to a situation report released on Wednesday by the DRC Ministry of Health, more than 1,000 suspected cases and 238 suspected deaths have been recorded as the outbreak continues to spread across the country's eastern provinces. Laboratory tests have identified the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus — a relatively rare form of the disease.

This marks the DRC's 17th Ebola epidemic, underscoring the country's long and fraught history with the virus. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 17 May, and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention subsequently declared a continental public health security emergency.

Why This Outbreak Is Especially Difficult to Control

The eastern DRC has been mired in armed conflict for decades, with multiple non-state armed groups operating across Ituri and neighbouring provinces. This makes contact tracing, community engagement, and the safe movement of health workers extraordinarily difficult. Displacement has scattered potentially exposed populations, while food insecurity and historical community mistrust of outside health interventions — rooted partly in earlier Ebola responses — further erode cooperation.

Notably, the Bundibugyo strain, though less lethal on average than the Zaire strain, is less studied and has fewer validated treatment protocols, adding a layer of clinical uncertainty to an already complex response. As international health bodies mobilise, the coming weeks will test whether a ceasefire can be secured and community trust rebuilt quickly enough to prevent further spread.