Photo Credit: AFP

The Director General, World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had become “very complex” as conflict, insecurity and displacement continue to hinder attempts to contain the disease in the country’s eastern provinces. 

Following his arrival in Kinshasa on Thursday, Tedros told reporters that the WHO was working alongside Congolese authorities and health teams already deployed in areas affected, including Bunia in Ituri province. “I came to show the affected communities that they are not alone and that WHO is here to support, ” Tedros said. 

The latest outbreak has continued to spread into parts of eastern DR Congo, where insecurity and armed conflict have made access difficult for some communities. Violence and instability remain among the most significant challenges facing health workers responding to the outbreak and ongoing calls for a ceasefire in areas affected, Tedros said. 

A volunteer publicizes Ebola prevention knowledge to a policeman in Mongbwalu, Ituri province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 24, 2026. (Xinhua)

The WHO chief is projected to head for Bunia on Friday to review the situation at the scene. Tedros also condemned some of the travel restrictions that countries have imposed on travellers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the outbreak. “A travel ban is not advised by WHO,” he said, adding that such restrictions could only delay transmission a few days. “The best approach is to intensify measures at the source and provide support,” Tedros added that travel bans would deter countries from reporting outbreaks in the early stages, if governments feared economic or political repercussions associated with transparency issues. 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and 238 suspected deaths have been reported since the outbreak was declared earlier this month, the Ministry of Health said. 

Laboratory testing detected the Bundibugyo strain, a relatively uncommon variant of the Ebola virus. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The WHO proclaimed the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention subsequently gave a continental public health emergency ruling.