EBOLA RESPONSE FACES SECURITY AND TRUST CRISIS IN CONGO

The World Health Organization warned Monday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is moving faster than response teams can contain it. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said delays in detecting cases had forced responders to play catch-up, and Reuters reported that Tedros gave the latest suspected death toll as 220.

The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rarer form of the disease. WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, but said it did not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. As of May 22, WHO assessed the risk as “very high” in Congo and “high” in Uganda.

The response is being complicated by violence and public distrust in eastern Congo. The Associated Press reported that young men stormed Mongbwalu General Hospital on Sunday evening, demanding the bodies of relatives who had died. Medical staff tried to evacuate patients as gunfire was heard nearby. AP reported it was the third attack in a week on health facilities involved in Ebola treatment.

Burial practices have become a major point of tension. Bodies of people who die from Ebola can remain highly infectious, which means health authorities often require trained teams to handle burials. AP reported that Congo has restricted large gatherings and funeral wakes in affected areas, while some families and communities have resisted rules that prevent them from retrieving or preparing bodies themselves.

The case numbers remain difficult to compare because confirmed, suspected, and regionally reported figures are changing quickly. WHO reported earlier that Congo had 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths as of mid-May, while Reuters later reported that Tedros said more than 900 suspected cases and 101 confirmed cases had been identified. AP reported that Congo’s communications ministry listed 904 suspected cases, while suspected death totals were reported inconsistently as either 119 or 220.

Uganda has also reported new cases. Reuters reported Monday that Uganda confirmed two additional Ebola infections, bringing the country’s total to seven. The new cases were health workers at a private facility in Kampala, and Ugandan authorities said they were being treated while response teams traced contacts.

Medical options are limited because this outbreak is not the more familiar Zaire Ebola strain. WHO says there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic for Bundibugyo virus, though early supportive care can be lifesaving. Doctors Without Borders said this is Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976 and the third known outbreak specifically involving Bundibugyo virus.

The core challenge is no longer only laboratory confirmation or medical supply. Health authorities are trying to contain a dangerous outbreak in an area affected by insecurity, displacement, fear, and distrust of official health measures. If those conditions worsen, the virus may become harder to track even as regional governments increase screening, contact tracing, and cross-border preparedness.

Fact-check date: 25 May 2026
Sources: WHO, Reuters, Associated Press, Doctors Without Borders

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