The WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warns about the Ebola outbreak in northeastern DRC and Uganda.

Despite more than 708 confirmed cases and 141 deaths, many communities in the DRC view Ebola as a “lesser evil” compared to daily threats like armed violence, hunger, displacement, malaria, and other endemic diseases. Residents question why the world mobilizes resources for Ebola but not for the broader humanitarian crisis, fueling conspiracy beliefs and resistance to surveillance.

Contact tracing remains dangerously low (around 50%, far from the 95% needed), and health workers trained during the 2018–2020 outbreak are no longer present due to insecurity. Tedros emphasizes that without a political solution to the region’s decades-long conflict, Ebola response efforts will continue to struggle. Uganda, by contrast, has contained its smaller outbreak due to political stability and stronger health infrastructure.

Dr. Tedros stresses that the WHO must listen to communities, acknowledge their lived reality, and integrate Ebola response with broader support for food security, basic health services, and long-term system strengthening.

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