WHO declares emergency as DRC Ebola deaths top 200
The Bundibugyo strain spreading undetected for weeks has no vaccine or specific treatment, and the US withdrawal from the WHO threatens to hamper containment efforts, with experts warning this could become the third worst Ebola outbreak in history.
May 24th 2026 · DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international importance before convening an emergency committee. The outbreak has already caused over 200 confirmed deaths, with 867 additional suspected deaths under investigation, according to the latest balance published by the Congolese Ministry of Health and collected by AFP. This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country since the virus was first identified in 1976. The current outbreak originated in Ituri province, with Mongbwalu identified as the likely ground zero, approximately 90 kilometers from Bunia, the provincial capital. Cases have since been confirmed in Uganda and Kinshasa, the capital, located some 3,000 kilometers from Ituri. Detection was significantly delayed because the Bundibugyo variant produces unreliable results in standard diagnostic systems, with initial tests returning false negatives or indeterminate results, allowing the virus to circulate undetected for at least one month. Hospitals in the region have collapsed under the strain, with isolation units full and medical supplies scarce, forcing Médecins Sans Frontières to urgently establish dedicated Ebola treatment centers separate from hospitals. Unlike the Zaire strain, which caused the devastating 2014-2016 West African epidemic with over 11,325 deaths and has an effective vaccine, no authorized vaccine or specific antiviral treatment exists for the Bundibugyo variant. While Bundibugyo has a lower fatality rate of approximately 30 percent compared to Zaire is 60 to 90 percent, experts warn that the sheer volume of cases makes this potentially the third worst Ebola outbreak in history. The international response faces additional challenges due to the United States withdrawal from the WHO, which became effective in January, and cuts to foreign aid programs, potentially weakening the organization's capacity to contain the epidemic.