WHO Declares Public Health Emergency as Ebola Spreads in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda

Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda, with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kasia saying the number of suspected cases surpassed 1,100 as of May 30, 2026.

“Former USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, joins CNN's Boris Sanchez to discuss the global response to the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo”

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Kasia said the outbreak began on May 15 in Ituri Province in northeastern Congo, then spread to North and South Kivu provinces before moving to Uganda, where nine confirmed cases and one death were recorded.

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In a separate tally, Mawazin News said that as of Friday the Democratic Republic of the Congo had 1,077 suspected Ebola infections, 121 confirmed cases, and 238 suspected deaths.

The World Health Organization had declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged local communities to actively participate in fighting the outbreak, stressing that "the outbreak can be stopped."

As the outbreak accelerates, Mawazin News linked rising Ebola fears to funding shortages and escapes from isolation centers, noting that the current strain traces back to the Bundibugyo strain with no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.

Mawazin News said the International Rescue Committee warned that funding cuts forced it to scale back programs from five areas to two in Ituri, and it reported that in March 2025 the IRC lost between 40 and 45 percent of its total budget.

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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, arriving in Kinshasa before heading to Bunia, said: "This is an extremely complex outbreak."

In a separate account of the response, Médecins Sans Frontières Deputy Director of Operations Dr. Alan Gonzalez said: "We have never before seen an Ebola outbreak with this large a number of reported cases so quickly after it was announced."

On June 2, 2026, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kasia said in a virtual press conference that announced commitments to confront the accelerating Ebola outbreak were revised from about $500 million to roughly $290 million, describing the decline as an irresponsible move that threatens to derail continental emergency plans.

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Kasia said the funding crisis came after the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the rare and deadly Bundibugyo strain focused primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

In parallel, Courrier international reported that the WHO triggered its second-highest international alert level on May 17 in response to the outbreak, with the first case confirmed in Goma, a major city in the east controlled by the anti-government armed group M23.

Courrier international also quoted WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus clarifying on X that the outbreak "constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, but does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency," as the Africa CDC warned of a high risk of spread due to factors including the high mobility of populations and proximity to Uganda.