WHO Warns Ebola Outbreak Is Outpacing Response Efforts In DR Congo, Uganda.

New York; May 2026: The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the current Ebola outbreak in Central Africa is spreading faster than response efforts, with suspected deaths rising sharply and cases continuing to emerge across borders.

WHO’s Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today (Tuesday – 26th May) that there had been 220 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak and acknowledged that delays in detecting infections had left health authorities struggling to contain the disease. “We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us”, Tedros said, urging neighbouring countries to strengthen preventive measures immediately.

According to the WHO, surveillance operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have identified more than 900 suspected cases since monitoring was expanded. The outbreak is centered in the northeastern province of Ituri, though infections have spread into neighbouring regions and crossed into Uganda. Health officials said the virus has now travelled as far as 200 kilometres from the original epicentre.

The current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment as per official statement. Last week, the WHO classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern. Ebola is a highly infectious viral disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids. Severe cases can lead to internal bleeding, organ failure and death.

Meanwhile, Ugandan authorities confirmed 02 additional Ebola infections today (Tuesday – 26th May 2026) bringing the country’s total number of confirmed cases to seven. The new patients are healthcare workers employed at a private medical facility in the capital, Kampala, according to the Ministry of Health.

The worsening outbreak has also been accompanied by growing unrest and mistrust towards health authorities in parts of eastern Congo. On Sunday (24th) evening, armed youths reportedly stormed Mongbwalu General Hospital in Ituri province, where Ebola patients were being treated. Medical staff were forced to evacuate patients amid gunfire in the area.

Hospital director Richard Lokudu said the attackers demanded the release of the bodies of two relatives believed to have died from Ebola-related complications. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been injured in the incident.

The violence followed a separate attack on Saturday (23rd May) in which residents set fire to an Ebola isolation tent operated by the humanitarian organisation ‘Doctors Without Borders – MSF’.

During that incident, 18 people suspected of carrying the virus reportedly fled the facility and remained unaccounted for, according to hospital officials.

Last week, another treatment centre in the town of Rwampara was burned down after authorities prevented relatives from retrieving the body of a man suspected to have died from Ebola.

Congolese officials have insisted that burials of suspected Ebola victims must be managed under strict health protocols to prevent further transmission. However, the restrictions have triggered anger among some communities, where traditional funeral rites are deeply significant. In an effort to contain the outbreak, the government last Friday (22nd May) has announced a ban on funeral wakes and public gatherings of more than 50 people across northeastern parts of the DRC.

Team Maverick.