WHO warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak could become deadliest on record

The World Health Organization’s director‑general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that the current Ebola outbreak could surpass the 2014‑2016 West African epidemic if transmission continues at its present rate. The ongoing crisis, centered in Uganda’s north‑eastern districts, has recorded more than 150 confirmed cases and 70 deaths within a span of six weeks, a trajectory that, if maintained, would exceed the 28,000 infections and 11,000 fatalities of the historic West African outbreak. Health officials note that the virus strain involved is the Sudan‑type Ebola, for which no approved vaccine exists, complicating containment efforts.

In response, the WHO has mobilised additional surveillance teams, laboratory support, and emergency funding to bolster local response capacities, while urging neighboring countries to heighten border monitoring and community engagement. Dr. Tedros emphasized that swift implementation of infection‑control measures, rapid case identification, and safe burial practices are essential to curb the spread. The organization remains on high alert, indicating that a coordinated international effort will be critical to prevent the outbreak from eclipsing the scale of the 2014‑2016 crisis.