Ebola outbreak in DRC, Uganda 'will get worse before it gets better': WHO chief

The World Health Organization said the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is still accelerating, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning on Monday that it will “get worse before it gets better.”

The warning came as Uganda reported two additional Ebola cases, bringing its confirmed total to seven in reporting cited by AP and Reuters. WHO and CDC have said the outbreak involves Bundibugyo virus disease and that response operations are underway in both countries.

Outbreak remains active

WHO updated the outbreak on May 21, saying the DRC had recorded 746 suspected cases and 176 suspected deaths, while both countries together had 85 confirmed cases and 10 confirmed deaths. The agency said transmission was concentrated in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

WHO has said insecurity and weak follow-up are making it harder for response teams to trace contacts and contain the outbreak. The agency has also described the situation as a cross-border challenge, with cases linked between the DRC and Uganda.

What happens next

The latest WHO remarks suggest the outbreak is still in a growth phase, even as international and national health teams expand their response. The open question now is whether updated official case counts will continue to rise after the May 25 reports and whether the virus spreads beyond the currently confirmed areas.

WHO first flagged the outbreak in mid-May and later said it met the threshold for a public health emergency of international concern. The latest comments from the agency chief and Uganda’s new cases point to a response that is still trying to catch up with the pace of transmission.