WHO Director-General visits Ebola epicenter in Congo.

VTV.vn - The WHO Director-General has visited the epicenter of the deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (center) arrives in Bunia, Ituri province, Congo, on May 30, 2026 (Photo: AP)

On May 30, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Bunia, the capital of Ituri province – the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in Congo.

Congolese authorities said the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country had risen to 225 on May 29, nearly double the 121 reported two days earlier. This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus – a rare and severe strain of Ebola for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency – the highest level of alert. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has called it one of the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreaks ever recorded.

Authorities have also recorded 1,028 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, the disease has spread to neighboring Uganda with 9 confirmed cases and 1 death.

Ebola was first identified in this central African region in 1976, and this is the 17th outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at a press conference on the response to the Ebola outbreak in Bunia, Congo, on May 30, 2026 (AP Photo).

Bundibugyo is one of the three strains of the virus that cause most major Ebola outbreaks. The most dangerous strain is the Ebola Zaire virus, which caused the outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2016 – the largest outbreak ever recorded, with over 28,000 cases.

MSF warns that the response to the outbreak in Congo is not keeping pace with the rate of virus spread.

The WHO has warned that the mortality rate from Ebola could be as high as 30% to 50% – a level already seen in the two previous Bundibugyo outbreaks, although this rate is lower among confirmed cases so far.

Source: https://vtv.vn/tong-giam-doc-who-tham-tam-dich-ebola-o-congo-100260531131001991.htm