WHO raises Ebola risk to very high in DR Congovery high in DR Congo
The World Health Organization said on Friday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been upgraded to a very high risk at the national level, with regional risk still high and global risk low.
Officials said the outbreak is spreading rapidly, with almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths reported in Congo and new cases confirmed in Uganda.
The warning matters because it points to a wider cross-border public health threat and a need for faster containment.
WHO
The World Health Organization says the outbreak is now moving fast enough in the Democratic Republic of Congo to justify a higher national risk rating. It also says the regional threat remains serious even though the global risk is still assessed as low.
Uganda health officials
Uganda’s health ministry says it has confirmed new Ebola cases, showing the outbreak has already crossed borders. That raises pressure for surveillance, contact tracing, and coordinated response with neighbors.
- Ebola was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the DRC.
- Bundibugyo virus outbreaks have previously affected communities on both sides of the Uganda-DRC border.
- Safe burial practices are a major part of Ebola control because the virus can remain infectious in a body after death.
