BUNIA, DR Congo — World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has visited Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, as DR Congo battles a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak that has now reached three eastern provinces and neighbouring Uganda.
Ituri is the epicentre of the outbreak, which was declared on May 15 and involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare form of the virus for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Congolese authorities have reported at least 1,077 suspected cases and 246 deaths since the outbreak was confirmed, while Uganda has recorded nine confirmed infections, including one death.
Speaking after his arrival in Bunia on Saturday, Tedros urged local communities to take a central role in the response. He said international partners were supporting the effort under the leadership of the Congolese government, but stressed that communities understand local challenges best and must be trusted as part of the solution.
Tedros said the WHO delegation was in Ituri to assess how the response was working, speak directly with residents and identify gaps that needed urgent support. He has been in DR Congo since Thursday, coordinating with national health authorities and international partners.
The WHO has warned that the outbreak may be wider than official figures show because the virus is believed to have circulated before it was detected. Earlier WHO data showed suspected cases in Ituri’s Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu health zones, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says confirmed cases have now been reported in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Health workers face major obstacles, including insecurity, limited isolation capacity, shortages of protective equipment and community resistance to safe-burial rules. Ebola can remain highly infectious after death, making burial practices a crucial but sensitive part of containment.
Tedros also appealed for more international funding, saying the WHO had received only about one-third of what it needs to support the response. Aid groups have warned that the outbreak is spreading faster than current containment efforts can manage.
Public-health officials are also concerned about misinformation, which has fuelled distrust of medical teams in some communities. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that false claims about Ebola are undermining contact tracing and treatment efforts.
For DR Congo and its neighbours, the priority is now rapid isolation, contact tracing, safe burials and community trust. Without those measures, officials fear the outbreak could spread further across an already fragile region.
