Ebola outbreak in Congo is 'spreading rapidly' and a 'very high risk', WHO warns

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 14:18, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 14:28, 22 May 2026 The head of the World Health Organisation has warned that the Ebola outbreak in Congo is 'spreading rapidly' and now poses a 'very high' risk at the national level. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency was revising upward to 'very high' its assessment of the risk within Congo, which had previously been deemed as high.  The risk remains high for regional spread and low at global levels, he told reporters. The WHO chief noted that 82 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, 'but we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger.' He said there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. The situation in neighbouring Uganda is 'stable' with two cases confirmed in people who had travelled from Congo, with one death. Earlier on Friday, the United Nations said it released $60million (£45million)from its Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the response in Congo and in the region.   The US has pledged $23million (£17million) in funding to bolster the response in Congo and Uganda, and said it would also fund the establishment of up to 50 Ebola treatment clinics in the affected regions of Congo and Uganda. Ugandan authorities said they were not aware of any treatment centres being set up by the US.  Congo has seen a wave of fear, anger and confusion over the deadly outbreak wash over the country, with rioters burning down hospital tents.  Health workers wearing protective suits disinfect a room where a patient had died inside an isolation ward at the General Referral Hospital during the Ebola outbreak response on May 21, 2026 in the Democratic Republic of Congo Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) bury a patient deceased at the hospital in Rwampara on May 21, 2026 The hastily arranged burials of the victims suspected to have been killed by the viral haemorrhagic fever have been met with suspicion in a conflict-ridden part of the country already distrustful of the state. With tensions running high, the military has been deployed to provide security for funerals. Tents used to isolate Ebola patients at Rwampara hospital, in the northeastern Ituri province at the outbreak's epicentre, were torched in the riot on Thursday, which ended swiftly after the army stepped in. Only the tents' charred husks remain. 'It all kicked off when a 24-year-old man, the son of a soldier, died at the hospital,' an official at the medical institution said. 'The family wanted us to hand over his body so that they can bury him, but given the circumstances, that's impossible,' the official added. Besides being extremely deadly, Ebola is transmitted through prolonged physical contact and bodily fluids. There is no vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the 17th Ebola outbreak to hit the vast central African country, which the World Health Organisation believes has already killed more than 177 people. So attempts to tackle the latest spread have been forced to rely mainly on precautions and rapid contact tracing. Health workers wearing protective equipment walk near a disinfected mattress from inside an Ebola victim's room outside the General Referral Hospital during the Ebola outbreak response on May 21, 2026 in the Democratic Republic of Congo Flames and smoke rise from an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026 But in rural parts of the DRC, 'loved ones are throwing themselves at the bodies, touching the corpses and the clothes of the deceased, while organising mourning rituals bringing together loads of people,' said Jean Marie Ezadri, a civil society leader in Ituri. 'Unfortunately, this is going on even during this epidemic, which explains the many instances of contamination.'  After the riot at Rwampara hospital, families nervously awaited the burials of three patients suspected to have died of the virus - though some questioned its existence. 'My brother is not dead from Ebola, it's an imaginary disease,' said 22-year-old Jeremie Arwampara. 'Why are they refusing to give us the bodies? He's my big brother, I cannot be afraid of him,' yelled Ezekiel Shambuyi. The unruly rabble dispersed after the soldiers on guard around the hospital fired warning shots. A nurse was wounded by stones thrown. Within the shelter of the hospital's walls, healthcare workers prepared for the burials, slipping into full protective gear. Finally, they emerged carrying three black-and-white caskets, placed on a three-wheeled cart. In one lay the father of Musa Amuri, who came to bid his dad a rushed goodbye. Health workers wearing protective equipment walk outside the isolation and intensive care unit at the General Referral Hospital as coffins remain visible in the background following reported deaths linked to suspected Ebola cases on May 21, 2026 in the Democratic Republic of Congo Congo has seen a wave of fear, anger and confusion over the deadly outbreak wash over the country, with rioters burning down hospital tents 'They're going to bury our father without us seeing him, it breaks my heart,' the young man said. The funeral procession set off to Rwampara cemetery, escorted by three jeeps full of soldiers and police. Infamous for their indiscipline, Congolese security forces have been accused in past Ebola outbreaks of fanning distrust towards medics. Even some of the Rwampara rioters were themselves soldiers, close to one of the victims, who threatened the healthcare workers, according to a hospital source. No comments have so far been submitted. 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