WHO chief warns Ebola response must ramp up to stem DRC outbreak

What the report says

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged a faster, more complete response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that every chain of transmission needs to be found and broken to stop the disease from spreading further in the country and the wider region, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026.

According to the article, official government data showed the death toll in the DRC had passed 3,000. The outbreak is described as the country’s largest and deadliest Ebola crisis, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said containment efforts remain below target, with many new cases appearing outside known contacts.

Al Jazeera said the response has been hindered by fighting in eastern DRC, weak infrastructure, unpaid health worker strikes and local burial customs that can increase transmission risk. Tedros also pointed to a funding shortfall of more than $1 billion, saying humanitarian financing is tight even as the outbreak continues to expand.

The report added that schools in some of the hardest-hit areas reopened this week after authorities abandoned plans for remote learning. The virus strain involved is Bundibugyo, and there is still no approved treatment or vaccine, although vaccine trials are under way. That makes the pace of response especially important, given the risk to nearby countries and the broader region.