Saturday, 23 May 2026, 6:07 pm
Press Release: UN News
By Vibhu Mishra
22 May
2026
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday raised the
national risk assessment for DRC to “very high” –
although the global risk remains “low”.
So far, 82
cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in DRC, but WHO
says the real scale of the outbreak is likely far larger,
with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths
reported.
The outbreak
is unfolding amid intensified fighting, mass displacement
and deep mistrust of outside authorities, fuelled by rumours
and misinformation.
One hospital in Ituri province on
Thursday was set on fire by angry relatives after
authorities refused to release the body of a deceased family
member, fearing contamination, according to
reports.
How the UN system is
respondingWHO raises Ebola risk in DRC
to “very high”; regional risk remains “high” and
global risk “low”WHO deploys 22
international staff; UNICEF sends emergency response team to
Bunia.Health teams support contact tracing,
treatment centres, risk communication and community
engagementUN relief chief allocates up to
$60 million for the response in DRC and neighbouring
countries; WHO releases $3.9 millionWHO and Africa
CDC establish a continental incident management support
teamMONUSCO airlifts nearly 30 tons of
emergency supplies – including medicines, tents
and protective equipmentThe UN peacekeeping mission
also runs an air bridge and deploys vehicles to strengthen
logisticsWHO and partners prepare clinical
trials for experimental Ebola treatments and potential
vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo
strain.Red Cross volunteers carry out
door-to-door awareness campaigns and mobilise safe
and dignified burial procedures
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Read
more about the
outbreak here and about ebola
symptoms and prevention
here.
Two cases in
Uganda
Two cases – linked to travel from DRC –
have been confirmed in Uganda, including one
death.
Two American nationals – including a doctor
and another person described as a “high-risk contact”
– have been transferred to Europe for treatment or
monitoring.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo
strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved
vaccines or therapeutics. Only two previous outbreaks of the
strain have ever been recorded – in Uganda in 2007 and DRC
in 2012.
Conflict complicates response
The
outbreak is unfolding in Ituri and North Kivu provinces,
regions long scarred by armed violence and humanitarian
crises.
“Across both provinces, around four
million people need urgent humanitarian assistance, two
million are displaced and ten million face acute
hunger,” Tedros said.
Fighting has
intensified in recent months, displacing more than 100,000
people and hampering health operations.
Emergency $60
million allocated
Also on Friday, UN Emergency Relief
Coordinator Tom Fletcher announced the allocation of up to
$60 million from the Organization’s Central Emergency Response
Fund to support the response in DRC and neighbouring
countries.
“These are tough operating
environments for lifesaving work,” Mr. Fletcher said.
“We face conflict and high population
movement.”
He stressed the importance of
securing access for frontline responders, including in areas
controlled by armed groups. “It is essential that there is
no obstruction,” he said.
Ebola ‘fabrication’
charge
Aid agencies stressed that misinformation and
distrust could undermine efforts to contain the
outbreak.
Gabriela Arenas of the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
said many communities still carry trauma from previous Ebola
epidemics.
“They remember the fear. They
remember the rumours spreading to villages,” she
told reporters in Geneva from Nairobi. “They remember
neighbours disappearing into treatment
centres.”
While many residents are seeking
information and treatment, others still believe “that
Ebola is fabricated,” she said.
The IFRC said Red
Cross volunteers were already going door-to-door in affected
areas to share information and support safe and dignified
burials.
“During an Ebola outbreak, trust
and community acceptance can mean the difference between
containment and wider transmission,” Ms. Arenas
said.
Women at greatest risk
Social dynamics
driving transmission could leave women disproportionately
affected, as they have in previous Ebola outbreaks, agencies
warn.
“Women are more likely to be infected
in the first place,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of
Humanitarian Action.
During the 2018–2019 Ebola
outbreak in DRC, women and girls accounted for roughly
two-thirds of reported cases.
“This is
because Ebola transmission follows social realities,” Ms.
Calltorp said. “The virus spreads along the lines of
caregiving, domestic labour, frontline health work and
burial practices.”
Pregnant women face
particular risks, she added, while quarantines can increase
gender-based violence.
Containment efforts
intensify
WHO said it had deployed 22
international staff to the field and released $3.9 million
from its contingency fund, while a continental
incident management team was being established with the
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The
agency and its partners are also accelerating work on
experimental vaccines and therapeutics for the Bundibugyo
strain.
Tedros said WHO’s research advisory group
had recommended prioritising two monoclonal antibodies for
clinical trials, along with testing the antiviral drug
obeldesivir for high-risk contacts.
He also
underscored the importance of restoring
confidence.
“Building trust in the affected
communities is critical to a successful response, and is one
of our highest priorities,” he
said.
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