Ebola Outbreak Spreads in Eastern DR Congo as WHO Flags High Regional Risk

Overview

• WHO declared an international health alert on May 17 after infections that began circulating in mid‑April were detected and confirmed in mid‑May.
• The agency says the outbreak has already caused about 139 deaths and nearly 600 probable or suspect cases and that laboratory tests identified the Bundibugyo Ebola variant.
• Several governments have tightened travel controls and screening for travellers from the region, one American patient was evacuated to and treated in Berlin, and the US temporarily paused visa services for DR Congo.
• Local response teams report slow detection, shortages of tests and protective gear, and difficult access in conflict‑torn eastern provinces, while a new case announced by M23 in Bukavu signals geographic spread.
• This is DR Congo’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak and it arrives into fragile communities with displaced people and weakened health systems, increasing the risk of prolonged transmission and wider social and economic disruption.