OAN Staff Addie Davis
10:31 AM – Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says that he believes the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is likely to worsen before the situation ultimately improves.
In a Monday social media post, Ghebreyesus reported that there are currently more than 900 suspected cases and 220 deaths believed to be linked to the virus in the DRC. However, just 101 cases and 10 deaths have been fully confirmed.
“It will likely get worse before it gets better,” he said in the Monday post, adding that the situation is complex.
Ghebreyesus continued, going on to name some of these likely factors:
- Delayed detection of the outbreak, leading to playing catch-up with response efforts.
- Fighting intensifying in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces of the DRC and significant distrust among some local communities toward outside authorities.
- No approved vaccines or therapeutics for the specific virus strain.
Ghebreyesus also noted that there have been a total number of “seven cases confirmed in Uganda, including one confirmed death,” as of Monday.
Health officials say that the Ebola strain responsible for the current outbreak is the Bundibugyo virus.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been two previous outbreaks of this strain, one in Uganda and the other in the DRC, with death rates at 25% and 50%, respectively.
The current situation marks the 17th outbreak of Ebola in the DRC in approximately 50 years.
Earlier this month, on May 17th, an American working in the DRC tested positive for the virus and was subsequently transported to Germany. Nonetheless, there have been no cases in the U.S. associated with the outbreak and the CDC has since reiterated that the risk remains low for the general public.
Travel notices, restrictions and screenings have been put in place, according to the agency. There are also entry restrictions for non-U.S. passport holders if they have visited Uganda, the DRC or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.
Since May 15th, the U.S. has contributed more than $80 million in cumulative aid related to the outbreak to response efforts and in contributions to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), according to a Tuesday social media post from the House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority X account.
Speaking to reporters last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that protecting American citizens will continue to be Trump administration officials’ main priority, but he also expressed a broader concern for those affected by the disease.
“We care about Ebola, we don’t want anyone dying or being affected by Ebola, but our number one priority will always be making sure it doesn’t come to the United States,” he stated.
The secretary of state also took the opportunity to criticize the WHO, reminding how it had “failed miserably during COVID,” while additionally covering “for China.” He listed this as the reason for the U.S.’s departure from the organization. However, in reference to the current outbreak, Rubio explained that the U.S. is still “going to work with anybody who wants to fix that problem.”
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