After a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the country’s Ebola outbreak is beginning to turn a corner, even as major hurdles persist in testing, surveillance, vaccine development and winning community trust. What he witnessed on the ground, he added, left him hopeful. Tedros reported a decline in cases. He said 344 infections have been confirmed in the DR Congo, including 60 deaths. At the same time, suspected cases have fallen sharply—from…

Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is bracing for what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls a "catastrophic collision of disease and conflict," as a rapidly advancing Ebola outbreak outstrips efforts to contain it in a region already scarred by armed groups, displacement and severe hunger. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Ituri province is unfolding in conditions that undermine basic public health measures, with insecurity, assaults on clinics and…

Ebola’s latest surge in the Democratic Republic of Congo is proving deadly, but early figures suggest it has so far killed a smaller share of patients than many previous outbreaks, according to a World Health Organization update. Since officials declared the outbreak in the DRC in mid-May, the World Health Organization has logged more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases across the central African nation. Of those, 10 deaths have been confirmed as caused by Ebola, while another 223 are suspected to have been linked…

Uganda has shut its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo as officials race to contain an Ebola outbreak attributed to the Bundibugyo strain, a move that has triggered stepped-up regional surveillance and emergency health measures. The closure, effective "with immediate effect," was ordered by the national Ebola task force chaired by Vice President Jesca Alupo after a rise in infections among Ugandan health workers who had treated patients from DR Congo. All authorised entrants will be screened, and travellers from…

In a groundbreaking move for regional connectivity, the Republic of Congo has declared that, starting January 1, 2027, all African citizens will enjoy visa-free entry into the country. This initiative aims to simplify cross-border travel and enhance regional integration across the continent. This new policy is set to facilitate travel for various purposes, including business, tourism, education, and cultural exchanges. It embodies the Republic of Congo's commitment to the African Union's broader integration agenda and…

Arson attacks targeting Ebola treatment facilities in eastern Congo underscore the formidable obstacles confronting authorities amidst an outbreak declared a global health emergency. These incidents reflect the mounting local frustration as efforts continue to curb the spread of this infectious disease. On Sunday, Congolese officials reported that suspected cases have surpassed 900, primarily concentrated in Ituri Province, the epicenter of the outbreak. The recent fires in centers across two towns exposed underlying…

A US doctor infected with Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the country’s deadly current outbreak has been admitted to a high-security isolation unit at a hospital in Germany, health officials said. The patient, identified as medical missionary Dr Peter Stafford, reached Germany overnight after the United States asked Berlin to assist with his treatment. "I can confirm that the US citizen who was infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been admitted to the…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State has moved to calm fears while urging caution, issuing a public health alert after the World Health Organization reported an uptick in Ebola cases in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a statement on Wednesday, the health ministry asked residents to stay alert and follow preventive steps to limit the chance of infection, stressing that no Ebola cases have been reported in Puntland State or anywhere else in Somalia. Officials described Ebola as a dangerous and fast-spreading viral…

Alarm over the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo intensified as the head of the World Health Organization warned that the epidemic’s reach and momentum are cause for serious concern. "Early on Sunday, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over an epidemic of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the World Health Assembly in Geneva. "I did not do this lightly... I'm deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic," he said. His remarks…

Health officials are racing to contain a new Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain, with the World Health Organization saying the flare-up does not qualify as a pandemic emergency even as it warns that countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo face a high risk of further spread. Earlier, the WHO said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda amounted to a public health emergency of international concern. So what is known so far about the latest Ebola outbreak and the way it has…