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WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ebola The Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Ituri province spread in an unsafe environment, attacks on health facilities and population movements made it “almost impossible” to trace contacts and isolate cases.
“We cannot build public trust or isolate the sick when bombs are falling,he said.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, first identified in Uganda in 2007, has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Congo has reported There have been nearly 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, according to figures from health agencies and partners, although only one death has been laboratory confirmed. In neighboring Uganda, health authorities have reported seven confirmed cases linked to the outbreak, including two health workers and one death.
A rapidly growing epidemic
WHO be warned that the outbreak continues to spread geographically, with evidence of ongoing cross-border transmission.
The outbreak was centered in Ituri province but has now spread to 11 health zones, and cases have also been reported in North Kivu – including Butembo and Goma – and in South Kivu, according to to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Health officials say the virus is spreading through family groups and healthcare facilities, with transmission linked to child care, family gatherings and unsafe funeral practices.
Ituri province (pictured) in eastern Congo is one of the worst affected areas.
Conflict weakens the response
Efforts to contain the outbreak are underway in one of eastern Congo’s most volatile regionswhere humanitarian access has long been hampered by conflict involving various armed groups, including the Allied Democrat Forces (ADF), the CODECO militia, and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.
December 2025 report by UN peacekeeping missions MONUSCO documented ongoing violence in Ituri and North Kivu, including attacks on villages, health facilities, and refugee communities that killed hundreds of civilians and forced widespread displacement.
Active fighting and restrictions imposed by armed groups also hinder humanitarian operations, restrict the movement of civilians, and disrupt access to essential services.
Hunger and disease collide
The violence has exacerbated an already serious humanitarian crisis. According to According to the latest analysis by IPC – the UN-backed global food security monitor – nearly 10 million people in Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika face acute hunger between January and June 2026.
At the national level, an estimated 26.5 million people in Congo experience high levels of acute food insecurity.
“Hunger and disease are old friends,” said Tedros. “People weakened by hunger were much more susceptible to infection.”
Bad roads, damaged infrastructure
WHO says conflict, poor infrastructure and insecurity limit the movement of aid and access to health services.
“In many affected areas, health facilities are not functioning or operating under severe constraints due to insecurity,” said Tedros. “Poor road conditions further limit the movement of goods and humanitarian aid.”
Children are also being hit hard, not only through infections but also through disruptions to health, nutrition and education services, UNICEF warned. He added that children affected by the Ebola outbreak often lose their parents and caregivers, while stigma and fear can leave them isolated in their communities.
Build trust
WHO is at the center of the UN system-wide response, mobilizing emergency personnel, medical supplies and funding to help contain the outbreak.
The agency is also working with community leaders in Bunia to build trust and counter misinformation. The agency has developed public information messages and awareness materials adapted to local contexts and translated into local languages for wider reach.
“Public trust is the foundation of an effective public health response,” said Julienne Ngundoung Anoko, WHO Community Engagement Officer stationed in Bunia. “Without community support, efforts to control the outbreak will not be successful.”
Calling for a ceasefire
Tedros called for an immediate ceasefire to enable humanitarian and medical teams to safely access affected communities.
“Stopping Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,“He said.
