WHO escalates Ebola response as cases rise in Congo, Uganda

The Ebola outbreak stretching across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda pushed global health officials into a higher state of alert as confirmed cases climbed and the World Health Organization expanded its response. The outbreak, first confirmed in May 2026, involved the Bundibugyo strain, a less common Ebola virus for which there was no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

WHO escalated support to the two governments by focusing on surveillance, contact tracing, clinical preparedness, supply delivery, community engagement and cross-border preparedness. On 17 May 2026, the agency declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, underscoring the risk that transmission could spread further in a region already strained by insecurity, humanitarian crisis conditions and heavy movement of people and goods.

By 6 June, WHO had reported 515 confirmed cases and 91 confirmed deaths in the Congo. Uganda had reported 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths, plus one probable case that died. WHO said Uganda’s outbreak was epidemiologically linked to transmission originating in the Congo, with a mix of imported infections and secondary spread among contacts and healthcare workers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak was concentrated in remote areas of the two countries and that no Ebola cases had been confirmed in the United States. The CDC said the overall risk to the American public and travelers remained low, while noting that the United States issued travel health notices for Uganda and the Congo in May. The agency also said it has worked in Uganda since 1991 and opened a country office in 2000.

African health officials warned the outbreak could become one of the worst in decades. Africa CDC later said the combined outbreak in Congo and Uganda had reached 894 confirmed cases and 204 deaths. That warning reflected the scale of the challenge as local health systems dealt with a virus spreading across a border that is difficult to police and even harder to contain quickly.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health urged people to use its Ebola hotline, alert SMS system and U-Report channels for guidance and help. The country had reason to be measured as well as vigilant: its previous Ebola outbreak, confirmed on January 30, 2025, ended in 87 days, and all 10 treated patients survived, the country’s highest survival rate to date.