WHO Director-General Visits DRC as Ebola Outbreak Records First Recovery
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made an official visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Friday, 29 May 2026, amid intense efforts by local authorities to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak, which has now recorded its first recovery since the crisis began.
Tedros arrived in Kinshasa on Thursday night, exactly two weeks after the highly contagious fever outbreak was officially declared. His planned trip to Ituri, a remote northeastern province at the epicentre of the 17th outbreak in the country, was postponed by a day.
Positive news emerged as WHO confirmed a patient had recovered on Wednesday, being discharged after two consecutive negative tests. “This marks the first recovery among confirmed Ebola cases in this outbreak,” said WHO’s Anais Legand in Geneva.
According to Africa CDC data as of Thursday, there have been at least 1,077 suspected Ebola cases since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, with 246 fatalities. However, WHO warned the actual scale may be wider due to limited laboratory capacity in the DRC.
The situation is exacerbated by decades of armed conflict in eastern DRC. In Ituri province, healthcare access is hindered by ISIS-affiliated ADF militias and other armed groups.
Major concerns arise from overcrowded refugee camps housing nearly a million people displaced by conflict, living in makeshift tents with poor sanitation. “If Ebola gets in here, we’re done for – we’re packed like sardines,” said Dorcas Mapenzi, a resident of Kingonze camp.
Currently, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain causing this outbreak. Africa CDC projects a vaccine will be ready by year-end, while WHO recommends urgent clinical trials for potential treatments.
DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba sought to calm international panic, stating, “We are not in the situation people imagine internationally.” Despite this, global vigilance has sharply increased: Uganda and Rwanda have closed borders with the DRC, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to prevent Ebola entering US territory.
Tedros reinforced his message on X: “I want you to know you are not alone. This outbreak can be stopped.” (AFP/I-2)
The Indonesian Ministry of Health confirmed no Ebola cases in Indonesia after WHO declared the DRC outbreak a global health emergency.