NNA News Desk | Geneva, Switzerland

The World Health Organization says the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda remains a serious international health concern, but does not currently qualify as a pandemic emergency.

Speaking during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk posed by the outbreak was “high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level.”

Tedros said a WHO Emergency Committee met on Tuesday and agreed with his earlier assessment that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

However, he said the situation had not reached the level of a global pandemic emergency.

The declaration followed rising concern over the spread of Ebola cases in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

According to Tedros, 51 Ebola cases have so far been confirmed in the northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu in the DRC, although health authorities believe the actual scale of the outbreak is significantly larger.

Roger Kamba, Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), speaks at a press briefing on the Ebola outbreak in Kinshasa, DRC capital, on May 19, 2026. Photo Credit: STR, NNA News

Uganda has also confirmed two Ebola cases in the capital Kampala, including one death involving travellers arriving from the DRC.

Tedros further confirmed that a United States national working in the DRC had tested positive for the virus.

Beyond confirmed infections, the WHO said nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths had been recorded.

“We expect the numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected,” Tedros said.

The WHO chief stressed the need for urgent international action aimed at containing the outbreak and preventing further deaths.

“It is urgent to act immediately to prevent more deaths and mobilise an effective international response,” he said.

The WHO said it had already deployed personnel, medical supplies, equipment, and emergency funding to support authorities in both countries.

Tedros announced that the organisation had approved an additional 3.4 million U.S. dollars from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, bringing the total WHO emergency allocation to 3.9 million U.S. dollars.

The outbreak has raised growing concern across East and Central Africa amid fears of cross-border transmission and pressure on already strained health systems.

Earlier this week, health authorities in the DRC reported more than 500 suspected Ebola cases and over 130 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.

The latest outbreak marks another major public health challenge for the region, where health authorities continue strengthening surveillance, contact tracing and emergency response measures.