World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that the risk of Ebola spreading globally remains low despite high regional risks.

The assessment comes as a rare strain of the virus spreads rapidly through Central Africa, threatening to overwhelm local health systems if not contained.

The outbreak is currently centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically within the Ituri and North Kivu provinces, and in Uganda. Health officials have confirmed 51 cases in Congo [1]. The rapid increase in case numbers has prompted the WHO to elevate the risk level for the affected areas.

Speaking from the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Tedros said the disparity between the local crisis and the international threat level. "The risk is high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level," Tedros said.

He said that the current situation does not meet the criteria for a worldwide crisis. "This is not a pandemic emergency; the risk of global spread remains low," Tedros said.

Despite the low global risk, the situation within the affected borders is critical. Tedros said the outbreak is spreading rapidly and now poses a very high risk at the national level. The WHO is monitoring the situation as the rare strain continues to circulate in the Congo and Uganda border regions.

Local authorities are working to implement containment strategies to prevent further transmission across national borders. The organization continues to track the 51 confirmed cases [1], and any new infections emerging in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

“The risk is high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level.”

The WHO's distinction between regional and global risk suggests that while the rare Ebola strain is highly aggressive within its current geography, the mechanisms for international transmission are not currently active. By labeling the risk as 'very high' nationally, the WHO is signaling an urgent need for localized resources and intervention to prevent a regional collapse that could eventually lead to a wider international emergency.