Global health authorities are exploring whether experimental vaccines or treatments could be deployed to tackle a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after the World Health Organization’s director-general warned he was deeply worried by the speed and scale of the epidemic.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there have been at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths since the new outbreak began, an increase from roughly 200 cases and 65 deaths when the situation was first announced. Officials warn the known caseload is likely just the beginning.
Dr Mesfin Teklu Tessema, senior director of health at the International Rescue Committee, which operates in Ituri province where most cases are concentrated, told reporters the recorded infections are probably “the tip of the iceberg.” He said spread across the porous border into South Sudan is likely a matter of when, not if, and cautioned that fragile public-health systems there mean responders are “actually flying blind.” The IRC also flagged severe shortages of basic protective equipment—gloves, masks and goggles—for health workers treating patients.
The outbreak has been attributed to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. That strain currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO officials said they are convening a technical group to review which tests, candidate vaccines and therapies might be useful, but stressed that licensed vaccines are available only for the Zaire strain and are not considered suitable for this response without further study. A 2023 vaccination campaign in parts of the DRC immunised about 55,000 frontline workers against the Zaire strain.
Anne Ancia, WHO representative for the DRC, warned the outbreak could take many months to control. “I don’t think that in two months we will be done with this outbreak,” she said, citing a recent DRC outbreak that lasted two years and killed nearly 2,300 people between 2018 and 2020. Tedros declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), noting he had made the declaration before convening an emergency committee because of his alarm about the epidemic’s scale and pace.
Reports of cases in urban areas and infections among health workers are especially worrying because they increase the potential for transmission in clinics and cities. The region is experiencing significant population movement for work and because of escalating conflict; the fighting in Ituri intensified in late 2025 and has displaced more than 100,000 people in recent months.
Public-health measures are already under way: the WHO has deployed more than 40 experts to the field and shipped about 12 tonnes of supplies, including personal protective equipment, from Kinshasa and Nairobi. Thirty cases in Ituri have been confirmed by laboratory testing; authorities have also reported one confirmed case and death in Kampala, Uganda. A US citizen tested positive and has been transferred to Germany for care.
Neighboring countries have taken varied precautions. Uganda has advised people to avoid hugging and holding hands and cancelled its annual Uganda Martyrs’ Day ceremony, which usually draws millions. Rwanda has closed its border with the DRC. The WHO recommends screening at border crossings but urges states not to impose general travel and trade restrictions. Some countries, however, including the United States, have instituted bans on travellers from the affected area.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and other organisations say the response will be hampered by limited access to care in conflict-affected areas, where routine immunisation campaigns have been disrupted and the health system is overwhelmed by multiple outbreaks and other causes of death. Dr Maria Guevara of MSF said the system is “broken” and communities cannot access basic health services, complicating efforts to implement standard Ebola protocols and gain community trust.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people or animals. Symptoms can include high fever, vomiting and internal or external bleeding. According to the WHO, past Ebola outbreaks have had fatality rates that averaged about 50%, varying from roughly 25% to 90% depending on the strain and the availability of care. This is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first discovered.
Officials emphasise that field operations—strengthened surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory testing—are being scaled up and that caseload and mortality figures may change as these efforts expand. But they also warn that insecurity, displacement and weak health infrastructure will make the response lengthy and complex, and that any delay in care could raise the already high risk of death: “Ebola is a very deadly disease—this strain has a mortality rate between 30 to 50% with available care; when care is not available, that risk could be higher,” a health worker in the region said.
