WHO raises Ebola public health risk to ‘very high’ in DR Congo
Key takeaways
- Provincial gov’t in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, has banned public gatherings to stop the spread of the virus.
- Tedros also said on X that the situation in the DRC was “deeply worrisome”.
- “So far, 82 cases have been confirmed, with seven confirmed deaths.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Provincial gov’t in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, has banned public gatherings to stop the spread of the virus.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry the body of a patient deceased at the hospital in Rwampara, DRC towards the cemetery on May 21, 2026 [AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters Published On 22 May 202622 May 2026The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded the public health risk of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from high to “very high” as the deadly outbreak continues to spread.
WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Friday that they were revising their risk assessment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, to “very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level.”