WHO chief says fast-moving Ebola epidemic is outpacing response efforts

WHO chief warns the epidemic is likely to worsen as lack of vaccines complicates containment

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends an ACANU briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Apr 29, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

The head of the World Health Organization said on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, giving the latest number of suspected deaths as 220.

Addressing an online meeting of the African Union about the outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a delay in detecting Ebola cases meant responders were now "playing catch-up" and the epidemic was likely to get worse before it gets better.

Tedros said he would travel to Congo - the epicentre of the outbreak - on Tuesday with another senior WHO official responsible for addressing health emergencies, Chikwe Ihekweazu.

Earlier on Monday neighbouring Uganda reported two more Ebola cases, taking its total number of confirmed cases to seven, and Tedros said other countries bordering Congo were at high risk and should take immediate action.

The WHO has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a public health emergency of international concern.

Tedros said containing the fast-moving outbreak was complicated by the fact that Congo's Ituri and North Kivu provinces were highly insecure and there were no approved vaccines for Bundibugyo virus.