WHO chief meets DR Congo partners as Ebola cases mount

Outbreak Reaches 134 Cases

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met with health and humanitarian partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday to coordinate the response to an Ebola outbreak that has reached 134 confirmed cases and 18 deaths across the country and neighboring Uganda, according to the World Health Organization.

The confirmed infections include nine cases in Uganda and a US doctor who treated patients in Congo before being transferred to Germany for care, the WHO noted. Congolese health authorities have recorded more than 1,000 suspected cases since declaring the outbreak on May 15. The Bundibugyo strain — which carries a fatality rate of 30% to 50% — is concentrated in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

Coordination and Community Response

Tedros, who arrived in Congo on Thursday, wrote on the social media platform X that partners had agreed on the importance of strengthened coordination in support of the government and communities in Ituri Province. He noted that discussions covered the value of engaging community networks — including religious, business and women's groups alongside radio and social media influencers — to deliver effective messaging and build public trust in protective measures.

Health authorities reported that a 32-year-old laboratory staff member who contracted Ebola became the first patient cured and discharged from Rwampara Hospital in Ituri province. Officials have cited contact tracing and follow-up, insecurity, and inadequate isolation and referral systems among the challenges complicating response efforts.