RismadarVoice Reporters
August 18, 2026
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains far from being contained, with the disease spreading at an unprecedented pace and posing a risk of further international transmission.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the warning on Tuesday during an emergency meeting convened to assess the outbreak.
He said the situation required urgent action, noting that the outbreak had gained significant momentum before authorities could mount an effective response.
“We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control,” Tedros said, adding that health authorities were still struggling to catch up with the rapid spread of the virus.
The warning followed confirmation by the DRC government that more than 2,300 people had died from the outbreak, with nearly 5,000 cases recorded
The outbreak, which was officially declared on May 15, is the DRC’s 17th Ebola epidemic. Health authorities believe transmission had already been occurring for several weeks before it was formally identified.
The outbreak has affected parts of northern and eastern DRC, including areas where weak state presence, limited healthcare infrastructure and the activities of armed groups have complicated efforts to contain the virus.
Cases have so far been reported in six provinces, including areas close to the South Sudan border. Uganda has also recorded cases linked to the wider outbreak.
Tedros warned that the likelihood of further domestic and international transmission remained high.
The WHO currently assesses the public health risk as “very high” within the DRC, “high” for Uganda and other neighbouring countries, and “low” for the rest of Africa and the wider world.
Tuesday’s meeting was the second session of the WHO Emergency Committee since the organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17.
The committee was expected to issue recommendations following its assessment, although the timing of the announcement remained unclear.
The current outbreak has already surpassed the death toll from the DRC’s previous deadliest Ebola epidemic.
The 2018–2020 outbreak claimed 2,299 lives from 3,381 confirmed cases, according to WHO figures based on data from Congolese authorities.
The largest Ebola outbreak on record occurred in West Africa between 2013 and 2016. It killed more than 11,300 people, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The WHO has called for intensified surveillance, rapid detection and treatment, vaccination and stronger cross-border cooperation to prevent the current outbreak from spreading further.
