WHO Concerned By ‘Scale And Speed’ Of Ebola Spread In DRC

Ebola is a deadly viral disease spread primarily through direct contact with bodily fluids of symptomatic patients or the deceased

Source: DW

05/19/2026May 19, 2026

Congo’s Health Ministry has logged 131 suspected deaths and 513 potential cases in the latest outbreak in the country’s east. The World Health Organization is holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday in Geneva.

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday voiced concern about the “scale and speed” of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO is holding an emergency meeting later on Tuesday in Geneva to discuss developments in Ituri province and other parts of eastern DRC.

The outbreak involves a rare strain of Ebola, called Bundibugyo, for which there is no recognized vaccine. It is also taking place in remote parts of the country, making the lab testing of suspected cases slow and challenging.

What do we know about the suspected and confirmed caseload, death toll?

Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba spoke on national television early on Tuesday, giving an update on the recorded progress of the hemorrhagic fever.

“We have recorded roughly 131 deaths in total and we have around 513 suspected cases,” Kamba said. “The deaths we are reporting are all the deaths we have identified in the community, without necessarily saying that they are all linked to Ebola.”

Late last week, authorities had cited 91 probable deaths out of 350 suspected cases.

Germany’s Health Ministry on Tuesday said it was preparing to treat a US doctor who has contracted the virus after a request from the US, based on the shorter flight times and past German experience treating the virus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already announced the infection and the plan to send the patient to Germany.

Many of the cases logged so far are in the northeastern Ituri and North Kivu provinces, near the border with Uganda, which has also recorded two cases among people who traveled from Congo.

This includes cities like Bunia, Butembo and one case in North Kivu’s capital Goma, which was seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group last year.

The area is a gold mining hub and frequently unstable.

Read more WHO concerned by ‘scale and speed’ of Ebola spread in DRC