The WHO announced that the number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has increased to 600, with 139 suspected deaths. The figure is expected to rise further, even as European officials stress that the risk of an outbreak on their continent remains very low.
The WHO Emergency Committee met in Geneva on Wednesday (May 20, 2026). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters the virus remains a public health emergency of international concern, but not a pandemic emergency.
“WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as high at the national and regional levels, but low at the global level,” Dr. Tedros said. Earlier figures reported by DRC officials were estimated at 131 deaths from 513 suspected cases. This outbreak comes just five months after the DRC declared the end of the previous one.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of WHO’s emergency department, said in the same briefing that “our absolute priority now is to identify all existing transmission chains. That will allow us to truly determine the scale of the outbreak and to provide care.”
Dr. Tedros previously declared an emergency on Sunday and said he did so without consulting other experts due to the urgency. Health authorities said the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, an Ebola virus for which no vaccine or treatment exists.
Suspected superspreader event
Of the 600 suspected cases, the WHO said 51 have been confirmed in the DRC’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces. Uganda has also confirmed two cases in Kampala, including one death, from two individuals who traveled from the DRC. A medical missionary infected with Ebola in the DRC is also being transported to Germany for treatment.
WHO experts believe the outbreak began several months ago, with the first suspected death recorded on April 20. After that initial fatality, officials said they suspect a superspreader event occurred at either a funeral or a health facility, though investigations continue.
Meanwhile, a European Union spokesperson said on Wednesday that the risk of an outbreak in Europe is “very low.” “We know that diseases do not stop at borders, and Ebola is no different,” spokesperson Eva Hrncirova told reporters. However, she said there were “no indications” that Europeans needed to do anything beyond following standard medical advice.
