The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the public health risk level of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from “high” to “very high” at the national level, citing worsening transmission trends and growing fatalities.
In an update on Friday, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk remains “high” across the wider African region but is still assessed as “low” globally.
According to the WHO, the outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has no proven vaccine and is estimated to kill about one-third of those infected. The outbreak has so far recorded approximately 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, with 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed fatalities.
Dr Tedros noted that neighbouring countries, including Uganda, have also reported isolated cases linked to travel from eastern DRC, though the situation there remains “stable.”
He explained that the escalation in risk classification reflects both the spread of infections and challenges in response efforts, particularly in conflict-affected areas where insecurity continues to hinder containment measures.
“We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level,” Tedros said during a briefing in Geneva.
The WHO also warned that trust deficits and violence in affected communities are complicating outbreak control efforts. In one incident, angry relatives reportedly attacked and set fire to a hospital in eastern DRC after health workers refused to release the body of a patient due to contamination risks.
Meanwhile, global scientific efforts are underway to develop vaccines against the Bundibugyo strain. Researchers at Oxford University are working on a candidate vaccine that could enter clinical trials within two to three months, though its effectiveness remains unproven. A second experimental vaccine is also in development but may take up to nine months before it is ready for testing.
Ebola, a rare but highly dangerous viral disease often transmitted from animals such as fruit bats, continues to pose a significant public health threat in the region despite ongoing international response efforts.