WHO chief visits Congo as Ebola cases spread faster than response

World WHO chief visits Ebola outbreak epicenter in eastern Congo as cases outpace response May 30, 2026 / 12:24 PM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google The head of the World Health Organization on Saturday visited eastern Congo's Bunia, a city at the heart of an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola, where the virus is spreading faster than the response despite better-organized health facilities and new aid arrivals.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to visit a treatment center and meet local authorities, health workers and affected families in Bunia."The best way to address this is to provide all the necessary support to fight the disease at its epicenter and to continue offering every assistance needed," the WHO's director-general told reporters late Friday.The health organization said latest official figures showed 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths. The number could be three to four times higher than what is being reported, "CBS Saturday Morning" reported. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan ministry of health said Friday.  World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrives in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 30, 2026.  GLODY MURHABAZI/ AFP via Getty Images Current Ebola strain has no approved treatment or vaccineThe Bundibugyo virus, the current kind of Ebola, has no approved treatment or vaccine."This is a difficult situation, and we recognize that. But the Democratic Republic of Congo has faced the Ebola virus many times before. We are confident that it can once again bring this outbreak under control," Tedros said after meeting with Congo's Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Friday.Last week, the WHO upgraded its risk assessment to "very high" at the national level. Tedros said the outbreak is "spreading rapidly."  Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri, the heart of Congo's Ebola outbreak, on Thursday. More s...