The World Health Organization (WHO) supports all pillars of the response, including contact tracing and the establishment of treatment centers; as of Friday, the African nation already has 750 cases and 177 suspected deaths; the situation in neighboring Uganda is considered stable. 

The WHO reported this Friday, May 22nd, that 82 cases and seven deaths from Ebola have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The country also reports 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths from the disease. The WHO Director-General stated that the situation is "deeply concerning". 

Pillars of Action

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Tedros Ghebreyesus said the epidemic is spreading rapidly in the African nation and that, therefore, the WHO has revised its analysis, raising the national risk level from "high" to "very high". 

The UN agency has so far sent 22 professionals to the DRC to reinforce national teams. They are supporting all pillars of the disease response, including contact tracing, risk communication, the establishment of treatment centers, and community engagement. 

WHO Uganda/PhilipKairu Pauline Ajello, WHO risk communication and community engagement officer, talking with community mobilizers. 

The situation in neighboring Uganda is considered stable with two confirmed cases and only one death. A US citizen who worked in the DRC was also infected and transferred to Germany.  

This Friday, another American was notified of having had high-risk contact and transferred to the Czech Republic for treatment. Tedros announced that a Multi-Agency Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan will be published in the coming days, in coordination with the national plans of the DRC and Uganda. 

On Thursday, the WHO held a meeting with partners in the Medical Countermeasures Network to assess options for testing, vaccines and treatments. 

Looking for Treatments

A Technical Advisory Group on Research and Development for Treatments also met on Thursday and recommended prioritizing two monoclonal antibodies, a class of drugs that are synthesized from living organisms and serve to strengthen the immune system. 

In addition, the group recommended evaluating the antiviral drug obeldesivir in a clinical trial as post-exposure prophylaxis for people who have had high-risk contacts. 

This study is currently being developed in conjunction with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Open Research Collaborative Consortium on Filoviruses. 

Unlike many previous Ebola outbreaks, which were caused by the Zaire virus, the current crisis is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or therapies. There have only been two previous Bundibugyo outbreaks, in Uganda in 2007 and in the DRC in 2012. 

UN Women 

UN Women has issued a warning about the disproportionate impact of Ebola on the female population. During the 2018–2019 Ebola outbreak in the DRC, women and girls accounted for approximately two-thirds of reported cases.  

In Liberia, in 2014, in some communities, they accounted for up to three-quarters of deaths. Furthermore, in the outbreak recorded 50 years ago in the DRC, women accounted for 56% of deaths. 

The head of Humanitarian Action at UN Women, Sofia Caltorp, said this Friday that this is not because the disease is more lethal for women, but rather because they are more likely to be infected due to social factors. 

She highlighted that the virus spreads along the lines of care, domestic work, working on the front lines of healthcare, and funeral practices, roles in which women play a fundamental part. 

UN Women is calling for continued and flexible funding for women-led organizations so they can continue their work protecting communities, combating misinformation, and supporting safe care practices. 

 Picture: © 2026 Marie Jeanne Munyerenkana / Epa