The World Health Organization raised the public-health risk of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to "very high" on May 22, 2026.
The upgrade signals a critical escalation in the crisis, as the virus spreads rapidly through communities and threatens to destabilize national health infrastructure.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading rapidly and poses a "very high" risk at the national level. He said the risk of the Bundibugyo strain turning into a national outbreak in the DRC is now assessed as "very high" [3].
The epicentre of the outbreak is located in the Ituri province, though the risk assessment now encompasses the entire country [1, 3]. Dr. Tedros said the organization raised the public-health risk as the number of cases continues to climb [1].
Reports on the scale of the infection vary across sources. Al Jazeera reported approximately 750 suspected cases [1], while NPR cited more than 800 suspected and confirmed cases [4]. Other reports indicate the total number of cases has exceeded 900 [5].
The human toll is significant, with 177 suspected Ebola deaths reported [1]. Health officials are currently tracing around 1,400 contacts to curb further transmission [6].
According to NPR, this event is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record [4]. The escalation follows a rise in community transmission and an increasing number of confirmed cases that have overwhelmed local containment efforts [1, 4].
“The Ebola outbreak in Congo is spreading rapidly and poses a "very high" risk at the national level.”
The transition of the risk assessment to 'very high' at a national level indicates that the outbreak has moved beyond a localized cluster in Ituri province. By identifying this as the third-largest outbreak on record, the WHO is signaling a need for urgent international intervention and resource mobilization to prevent a wider regional epidemic in Central Africa.
