WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Ituri province spread in an environment where insecurity, attacks on health facilities and population movements made it “almost impossible” to trace contacts and isolate cases.
“We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while the bombs fall,he said.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, first identified in Uganda in 2007, has no approved vaccine or treatment.
The DRC has reported 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 confirmed death.
Rapidly evolving eruption
The WHO warned that the outbreak continued to spread geographically, with signs of ongoing cross-border transmission.
The outbreak is centered in Ituri province but has now spread across 11 health zones, with cases also reported in North Kivu – including in Butembo and Goma – and in South Kivu, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Health officials say the virus is spreading through family clusters and health care facilities, with infections linked to caregiving, family gatherings and unsafe burial practices.
The province of Ituri (pictured) in eastern DR Congo is among the worst affected areas.
Conflict undermines response
Efforts to contain the outbreak are unfolding in one of the most volatile regions of eastern DRCwhere humanitarian access has long been restricted by conflicts involving several armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), CODECO militias and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.
A December 2025 report by the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO documented ongoing violence across Ituri and North Kivu, including attacks on villages, health facilities and displaced communities that killed hundreds of civilians and forced widespread displacement.
Active fighting and restrictions imposed by armed groups also hampered humanitarian operations, restricted civilian movements and disrupted access to essential services.
Hunger and disease collide
The violence has exacerbated an already serious humanitarian crisis. According to the latest analysis by the 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.
Nationally, an estimated 26.5 million people in the DRC experience high levels of acute food insecurity.
“Hunger and disease are old companions,Tedros said.People weakened by starvation are far more vulnerable to infection.“
Bad roads, damaged infrastructure
WHO said conflict, poor infrastructure and insecurity limited the movement of aid and access to health services.
“In many affected areas, health facilities are either non-functional or operating under severe constraints due to insecurity;Tedros said.Poor road conditions further limit the movement of goods and humanitarian aid.“
Children are also badly affected, not only through infection but through the disruption of health, nutrition and education services, UNICEF warned. It added that children affected by Ebola outbreaks often face the loss of parents and carers, while stigma and fear can leave them isolated in their communities.
Building trust
The WHO is at the center of a system-wide effort by the United Nations, deploying 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. It has developed public information messages and awareness materials adapted to local contexts and translated into local languages to achieve wider reach.
“Community trust is the foundation for effective public health response,” said Julienne Ngoundoung Anoko, a WHO Community Engagement Officer stationed in Bunia. “Without community support, outbreak control measures cannot succeed.”
Calling for a ceasefire
Tedros appealed for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian and medical teams safe access to affected communities.
“Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,he said.
