The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) now represents a “very high” risk, the maximum level of alert, compared to the previous “high” level, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday, while the level of risk at the regional level remains unchanged, informs AFP, taken by Agerpres.
“The Ebola epidemic is spreading rapidly,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference.
“Previously, WHO had assessed the risk as 'high' nationally and regionally and 'low' globally. We have revised the risk assessments and classified them as 'very high' nationally, 'high' regionally and 'low' globally,” he added. “Very high” is the highest risk level, a WHO spokesman told AFP.
The epidemic has spread to North Kivu province and neighboring South Kivu province, crossed by front lines between Congolese forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 anti-government armed group, which has conquered vast territories since its emergence in 2021. A region of North Kivu, which has its capital at Bukavu, fell to M23 in February 2025.
The health response is being organized with difficulty and has caused chaotic scenes in the province of Ituri, the epicenter of the epidemic, where the WHO continues to mobilize personnel.
So far, “82 cases have been confirmed, including seven deaths” in the DRC, said the director of the WHO, also emphasizing that the epidemic is actually much more serious. He also mentioned the existence of almost 750 suspicious cases and 177 suspicious deaths in the DRC.
“The numbers are evolving as surveillance efforts and laboratory testing improve, but violence and insecurity are preventing the implementation of measures,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The situation in Uganda is stable for the moment, with two confirmed cases and one reported death,” he said.
Ebola causes a deadly hemorrhagic fever, but the virus, which has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years, is less contagious than COVID-19 and measles.
