30.05.2026 The head of the United Nations health agency is visiting the epicentre of a deadly Ebola outbreak Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), urging local communities to lead the fight against a disease whose confirmed cases have nearly doubled in two days.
WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visits Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo as authorities race to contain a fast-growing Ebola outbreak, with 1,028 suspected and 225 confirmed cases. Health officials warn the third-largest outbreak is outpacing the global response. pic.twitter.com/UX5Uopjzqd
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 30, 2026
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organizan (WHO) director-general, arrived in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, on May 30.
“The international community is involved under the leadership of the government of DRC, and at the same time, community ownership is important; that’s why we’re here to discuss with the community to see how the response is you know, running, and if there are challenges, to help,” Tedros said, addressing the reporters.
“The communities understand the problems better, and they know the solution, as well.”
Congolese authorities say the number of confirmed cases in DRC reached 225 on May 29, nearly double the figure of 121 reported two days earlier.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare and severe form of Ebola for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency, its highest level of alarm, and the medical NGO Doctors Without Borders, well-known by its French abbreviation – MSF, calls it one of the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreaks ever recorded.
Authorities have also reigstered 1,028 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths in DRC, while the disease has crossed into neighbouring Uganda, which has recorded nine confirmed cases and one death.
In this concerning context, the situation of women is ever more dramatic. Women in eastern DR Congo are disproportionately impacted by Ebola as shortages of protective gear amid funding cuts accelerate the spread of disease Al-Jazeera reports how these caregivers to the living and the dead are most at risk.
Women in eastern DR Congo are disproportionately impacted by Ebola as shortages of protective gear amid funding cuts accelerate the spread of disease.
Al Jazeera’s @ImogenKimber reports how these caregivers to the living and the dead are most at risk. pic.twitter.com/XYiM8uLw8y
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 30, 2026