The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he’s headed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to support efforts to contain a worsening Ebola outbreak, expressing confidence that the country can overcome the disease again.
Tedros announced the trip on Thursday, May 28, saying health workers and partners were intensifying efforts to contain the virus, particularly in the hard-hit Ituri province.
“On my way to DRC. Ebola is back. Ituri province is bearing the brunt,” Tedros said on X.
“I will be on the ground with our WHO teams, partners, and the extraordinary health workers who have never stopped fighting, all working under the leadership of the government of DRC.
“Sixteen times, this country has defeated Ebola. The 17th will be no different. But we must act now, together,” he added.
According to the WHO’s latest update as of May 24, authorities have recorded 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 223 suspected fatalities since the outbreak was officially declared in mid-May.
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The agency said more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected infections have been linked to the outbreak.
Health officials fear the crisis could worsen due to insecurity in eastern Congo, a region troubled by armed conflict for decades, making emergency response efforts more difficult.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
The outbreak was first identified in Ituri province, where weak state presence and longstanding instability have complicated access to healthcare and disease surveillance.
The WHO has also warned that the actual spread of the virus may be significantly wider than reported figures suggest, noting that the disease likely circulated undetected for some time before authorities confirmed the outbreak.