A physician from CBCA Virunga hospital assesses a visitor’s body temperature at a screening area established at the hospital’s entrance as part of Ebola preventative actions in Goma, May 21, 2026. Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Images
The Ebola epidemic in the eastern section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is "spreading swiftly," the leader of the World Health Organization cautioned during a news conference on Friday.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the U.N. health authority has elevated its hazard evaluation for transmission at the national level from "high" to "very high." At the regional scale, the hazard is still "high," whereas the global scale remains "low."
There have been approximately 750 suspected instances and 177 presumed fatalities from Ebola in the DRC, the WHO stated in a message on X.
Thus far, a minimum of 82 instances of Ebola have been verified in DRC along with seven deaths, however Tedros expressed, "we are aware that the epidemic in the DRC is considerably larger."
Tedros characterized the circumstance in Uganda as "stable," with two instances validated in individuals who journeyed from the DRC, resulting in one fatality.
A physician from CBCA Virunga hospital assesses a visitor’s body temperature at a screening area established at the hospital’s entrance as part of Ebola preventative actions in Goma, May 21, 2026.Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Images
The nucleus of the present epidemic exists in a "highly unsafe" zone — the DRC's eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri — where persistent armed strife has triggered a displacement dilemma, according to Tedros.
The WHO head also reported a "security occurrence" that transpired Thursday in Ituri during which "medical tents and supplies were ignited." He mentioned that cultivating belief in the local societies is "vital."
The WHO's representative in the DRC, Dr. Anne Ancia, who appeared from the area via video connection during the press conference, stated that Thursday's occurrence "markedly compromised" the Ebola response endeavors her group is attempting to launch in the most affected region.
She indicated that there is still minimal contact tracing in Ituri, notably the city of Bunia, but that there was improved contact tracing taking place in North Kivu.
Thus far, one American has acquired Ebola with respect to the epidemic. Dr. Peter Stafford tested positive subsequent to tending to patients in the eastern DRC.
He was moved to Germany and is presently being treated at Charite University Hospital in Berlin in an isolation unit, the hospital conveyed.
Stafford's spouse and children, who are deemed high-risk contacts, are also at the hospital and are currently in quarantine in a distinct part of the ward. The family is without symptoms, according to the hospital.
The hospital communicated that Stafford does not presently necessitate intensive care but is "severely weakened" as a result of his disease.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com