Ebola Outbreak Africa

WHO launched a $518 million regional plan from June to November 2026 to strengthen Ebola outbreak control and preparedness in DRC, focusing on prevention, early detection, treatment, and sustainable financing.

The Ebola epidemic in Congo worsened with a 65% chance of exceeding 20,000 cases in three months without effective control. So far, 381 cases and 64 deaths confirmed in Congo, and 16 cases with 1 death reported in Uganda.

An Ebola burial team was attacked in Katana, South Kivu province, DRC, forcing responders to abandon a coffin and raising transmission risks after community members handled the body without safety protocols amid rising cases.

Kenya continued plans to establish an Ebola quarantine and treatment center at Laikipia Air Base despite a High Court restraining order, aiming to strengthen health response to the nearby outbreaks in DRC and Uganda.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to reconsider Ebola-related travel bans in Congo and Uganda, warning such measures hinder disease control and reduce transparency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for increased international funding and community involvement to combat a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak with over 1,028 suspected cases recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WHO recommended prioritizing three experimental treatments—MBP134, maftivimab, and remdesivir—and vaccines for clinical trials targeting the Bundibugyo Ebola strain during ongoing outbreaks in Congo and Uganda.

The US government announced plans to establish a quarantine health facility in Kenya to treat American citizens suspected of Ebola infection amid the Congo outbreak, coordinated by multiple US departments.

The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern after the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo variant, with a 24% fatality rate and risk of silent international spread.