Suspected Ebola cases triple in a week as WHO warns of rapid spread in DRC
Key takeaways
- Medical staff carry an Ebola patient to a treatment centre in Rwampara, Congo, 21 May.
- The outbreak is spreading rapidly, WHO leaders said, with almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, up from 246 cases and 65 deaths when it was first reported a week earlier.
- The situation is “deeply worrisome”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general.
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Medical staff carry an Ebola patient to a treatment centre in Rwampara, Congo, 21 May. There have been 177 suspected deaths from the disease so far. Photograph: Moses Sawasawa/APView image in fullscreen Medical staff carry an Ebola patient to a treatment centre in Rwampara, Congo, 21 May. There have been 177 suspected deaths from the disease so far. Photograph: Moses Sawasawa/APGlobal development Suspected Ebola cases triple in a week as WHO warns of rapid spread in DRCSituation described as ‘deeply worrisome’ by officials as aid cuts and community distrust impede responders
About this contentKat Lay Global health correspondentFri 22 May 2026 16.47 BSTLast modified on Fri 22 May 2026 16.48 BSTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo poses a “very high” risk to the country, the World Health Organization said on Friday, revising its threat assessment upwards.
The outbreak is spreading rapidly, WHO leaders said, with almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, up from 246 cases and 65 deaths when it was first reported a week earlier.