The World Health Organization has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, with a high risk of spread to additional countries. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered the assessment during an emergency meeting on the crisis, acknowledging that containment efforts continue to lag behind transmission rates.
“We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control,” Tedros said. “It had a big head start, and we are still playing catch-up.”
Congolese health authorities report that the outbreak has claimed more than 2,300 lives out of nearly 5,000 confirmed cases, making it the deadliest Ebola epidemic in the country’s history. The outbreak, declared on May 15, marks the 17th recorded Ebola epidemic in the DRC. Health officials believe active transmission occurred for several weeks before official detection, raising concerns about undetected chains of infection.
The crisis is concentrated in northern and eastern provinces, where weak infrastructure, persistent insecurity, and the presence of armed groups have severely restricted access to affected communities. Tedros said the outbreak “is being fuelled by insecurity and displacement, and intense population movement along roads, rivers and mining routes.”
He emphasized that the risk of further national and international spread remains high, urging governments and partners to strengthen coordinated containment efforts. Additional recommendations will be issued to the DRC and neighbouring countries as authorities intensify work to identify and interrupt transmission chains.
