{"id":441365,"date":"2026-05-23T08:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/441365\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T08:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:52:08","slug":"ebola-risk-very-high-in-eastern-dr-congo-as-un-intensifies-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/441365\/","title":{"rendered":"Ebola Risk \u2018Very High\u2019 In Eastern DR Congo As UN Intensifies Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday, 23 May 2026, 6:07 pm
Press Release: UN News<\/a><\/p>\n

By Vibhu Mishra
22 May
\n2026<\/p>\n

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday raised the
\nnational risk assessment for DRC to \u201cvery high\u201d –
\nalthough the global risk remains \u201clow\u201d.<\/p>\n

So far, 82
\ncases and seven deaths have been confirmed in DRC, but WHO
\nsays the real scale of the outbreak is likely far larger,
\nwith nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths
\nreported.<\/p>\n

The outbreak
\nis unfolding amid intensified fighting, mass displacement
\nand deep mistrust of outside authorities, fuelled by rumours
\nand misinformation.<\/p>\n

One hospital in Ituri province on
\nThursday was set on fire by angry relatives after
\nauthorities refused to release the body of a deceased family
\nmember, fearing contamination, according to
\nreports.<\/p>\n

How the UN system is
\nrespondingWHO raises Ebola risk in DRC
\nto \u201cvery high\u201d; regional risk remains \u201chigh\u201d and
\nglobal risk \u201clow\u201dWHO deploys 22
\ninternational staff; UNICEF sends emergency response team to
\nBunia.Health teams support contact tracing,
\ntreatment centres, risk communication and community
\nengagementUN relief chief allocates up to
\n$60 million for the response in DRC and neighbouring
\ncountries; WHO releases $3.9 millionWHO and Africa
\nCDC establish a continental incident management support
\nteamMONUSCO airlifts nearly 30 tons of
\nemergency supplies \u2013 including medicines, tents
\nand protective equipmentThe UN peacekeeping mission
\nalso runs an air bridge and deploys vehicles to strengthen
\nlogisticsWHO and partners prepare clinical
\ntrials for experimental Ebola treatments and potential
\nvaccines targeting the Bundibugyo
\nstrain.Red Cross volunteers carry out
\ndoor-to-door awareness campaigns and mobilise safe
\nand dignified burial procedures<\/p>\n

Advertisement – scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n

Read
\nmore about the
\noutbreak here and about ebola
\nsymptoms and prevention
\nhere.<\/p>\n

Two cases in
\nUganda<\/p>\n

Two cases \u2013 linked to travel from DRC \u2013
\nhave been confirmed in Uganda, including one
\ndeath.<\/p>\n

Two American nationals \u2013 including a doctor
\nand another person described as a \u201chigh-risk contact\u201d
\n\u2013 have been transferred to Europe for treatment or
\nmonitoring.<\/p>\n

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo
\nstrain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved
\nvaccines or therapeutics. Only two previous outbreaks of the
\nstrain have ever been recorded \u2013 in Uganda in 2007 and DRC
\nin 2012.<\/p>\n

Conflict complicates response<\/p>\n

The
\noutbreak is unfolding in Ituri and North Kivu provinces,
\nregions long scarred by armed violence and humanitarian
\ncrises.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross both provinces, around four
\nmillion people need urgent humanitarian assistance, two
\nmillion are displaced and ten million face acute
\nhunger,\u201d Tedros said.<\/p>\n

Fighting has
\nintensified in recent months, displacing more than 100,000
\npeople and hampering health operations.<\/p>\n

Emergency $60
\nmillion allocated<\/p>\n

Also on Friday, UN Emergency Relief
\nCoordinator Tom Fletcher announced the allocation of up to
\n$60 million from the Organization\u2019s Central Emergency Response
\nFund to support the response in DRC and neighbouring
\ncountries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are tough operating
\nenvironments for lifesaving work,\u201d Mr. Fletcher said.
\n\u201cWe face conflict and high population
\nmovement.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed the importance of
\nsecuring access for frontline responders, including in areas
\ncontrolled by armed groups. \u201cIt is essential that there is
\nno obstruction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ebola \u2018fabrication\u2019
\ncharge<\/p>\n

Aid agencies stressed that misinformation and
\ndistrust could undermine efforts to contain the
\noutbreak.<\/p>\n

Gabriela Arenas of the International
\nFederation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
\nsaid many communities still carry trauma from previous Ebola
\nepidemics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey remember the fear. They
\nremember the rumours spreading to villages,\u201d she
\ntold reporters in Geneva from Nairobi. \u201cThey remember
\nneighbours disappearing into treatment
\ncentres.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many residents are seeking
\ninformation and treatment, others still believe \u201cthat
\nEbola is fabricated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The IFRC said Red
\nCross volunteers were already going door-to-door in affected
\nareas to share information and support safe and dignified
\nburials.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring an Ebola outbreak, trust
\nand community acceptance can mean the difference between
\ncontainment and wider transmission,\u201d Ms. Arenas
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

Women at greatest risk<\/p>\n

Social dynamics
\ndriving transmission could leave women disproportionately
\naffected, as they have in previous Ebola outbreaks, agencies
\nwarn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen are more likely to be infected
\nin the first place,\u201d said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women\u2019s Chief of
\nHumanitarian Action.<\/p>\n

During the 2018\u20132019 Ebola
\noutbreak in DRC, women and girls accounted for roughly
\ntwo-thirds of reported cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is
\nbecause Ebola transmission follows social realities,\u201d Ms.
\nCalltorp said. \u201cThe virus spreads along the lines of
\ncaregiving, domestic labour, frontline health work and
\nburial practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pregnant women face
\nparticular risks, she added, while quarantines can increase
\ngender-based violence.<\/p>\n

Containment efforts
\nintensify<\/p>\n

WHO said it had deployed 22
\ninternational staff to the field and released $3.9 million
\nfrom its contingency fund, while a continental
\nincident management team was being established with the
\nAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

The
\nagency and its partners are also accelerating work on
\nexperimental vaccines and therapeutics for the Bundibugyo
\nstrain.<\/p>\n

Tedros said WHO\u2019s research advisory group
\nhad recommended prioritising two monoclonal antibodies for
\nclinical trials, along with testing the antiviral drug
\nobeldesivir for high-risk contacts.<\/p>\n

He also
\nunderscored the importance of restoring
\nconfidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding trust in the affected
\ncommunities is critical to a successful response, and is one
\nof our highest priorities,\u201d he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Saturday, 23 May 2026, 6:07 pmPress Release: UN News By Vibhu Mishra22 May 2026 The UN World Health…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[23268,6980,134,196085,174762,111,24636,139,69,11112,196084,377,224528],"class_list":["post-441365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ebola","tag-global-health","tag-health","tag-humanitarianism","tag-international-law","tag-new-zealand","tag-newsworthy","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-scoop","tag-un-news","tag-world","tag-world-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}