The World Health Organisation has warned that the risk of a widening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated to “very high” at national level.
Health authorities race to contain transmission of the Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
In an updated assessment, the World Health Organisation said the situation remains most severe within the DRC, while regional risk is considered high and global risk low.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level.”
The strain was recently classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, reflecting concerns over late detection and the challenges of responding in areas affected by insecurity and population movement.
According to WHO figures, 82 confirmed cases have been recorded in the DRC, alongside seven confirmed deaths. Health officials also report around 177 suspected deaths and nearly 750 suspected cases, though the numbers continue to shift as surveillance expands.
The virus has also crossed into neighbouring Uganda, where two imported cases have been confirmed. One of those patients died. Dr Tedros said the situation there is currently stable, crediting rapid public health action.
“Measures taken in Uganda, including intense contact tracing and cancellation of a mass gathering, appear to have been effective in stemming the spread of the virus,” he noted.
Despite this, WHO officials have stressed that transmission within the DRC is ongoing and that case numbers are likely to rise.
Abdirahman Mahamud, Director of Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations at WHO, warned: “The potential of this virus spreading rapidly is high, very high, and that changed the whole dynamic.”
The organisation’s representative in the DRC, Anne Ancia, said responders are working under pressure to catch up with the outbreak’s early spread.
“We are sprinting behind, so that we can really try to control this outbreak,” she said, adding that ongoing transmission means “the number will keep rising for some time.”
With no approved therapy for the Bundibugyo strain, attention has turned to experimental options. WHO Chief Scientist Dr Sylvie Briand said an antiviral known as Obeldesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences, could be considered for use among contacts of confirmed cases.
“This is a promising treatment drug, but it has still to be implemented under a very, very strict protocol,” she said.
Health officials emphasised that any use would be tightly controlled, reflecting both the experimental nature of the drug and the severity of the outbreak.
On the ground, humanitarian organisations report a mixed public response. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has deployed volunteers in affected areas, including door-to-door outreach aimed at countering misinformation and encouraging early care-seeking.
“Community reactions remain mixed,” said Gabriela Arenas, Regional Operations Coordinator for the IFRC Africa Region. “For some people the outbreak is very real and they are taking information on how to protect themselves. For others, there’s still suspicion and misinformation claiming that Ebola is fabricated.”
That mistrust has, at times, spilled into unrest. In one incident, protesters reportedly set fire to tents used for Ebola patients after authorities refused to release the body of a local footballer believed to have died from the virus. Families disputed the diagnosis and sought to conduct traditional burial rites themselves.
Health workers say such moments highlight one of the most persistent challenges in Ebola response: safe burials. Bodies remain highly infectious after death, and contact during funerals is a known driver of transmission.
“Anyone who touches the body during carrying, washing, shrouding, moving is at extremely high risk of contracting the virus,” explained Laura Archer of the IFRC.
The outbreak has also drawn international attention beyond Africa. A U.S. national working in the DRC has been diagnosed and transferred to Germany for treatment. WHO officials also confirmed reports of another high-risk contact being moved to the Czech Republic.
Separately, U.S. authorities have said members of the DRC national football team must undergo a 21-day isolation period in Belgium before entering the country for the upcoming World Cup, citing health precautions linked to the outbreak.
Meanwhile, public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say they are assessing potential treatments and strengthening laboratory readiness.
Officials caution that the situation remains fluid, particularly in eastern DRC, where armed groups and population movement complicate containment efforts. WHO has stressed that early detection gaps and ongoing insecurity are making response work more difficult.
Despite these challenges, responders continue to expand surveillance, contact tracing and community engagement, with the aim of slowing transmission before the outbreak spreads further.
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