WHO Report on Ebola Outbreak in DRC: High Risk Nationally and Regionally, Low Global Threat

Geneva — The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday that while the risk of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak is currently high on national and regional levels, the global risk remains low. WHO experts said investigations into the outbreak’s origins were ongoing; however, considering the situation’s extent in the eastern DRC, the outbreak likely commenced a few months ago. Despite the seriousness at the local level, the UN health agency’s emergency committee has determined that the situation does not currently meet the pandemic emergency criteria.

WHO’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated, “WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level.” Currently, there are 51 confirmed cases in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. He noted, “although we know the scale of the epidemic in DRC is much larger.” A press conference at WHO’s headquarters in Geneva highlighted that Uganda had reported two confirmed cases, including one death in Kampala, and a U.S. national working in DRC had tested positive before being transferred to Germany for treatment.

American doctor Peter Stafford, evacuated to Germany for care, was among the confirmed patients. The missionary group Serge reported his condition. Tedros emphasized, “There are several factors that warrant serious concern about the potential for further spread and further deaths,” citing nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths. He warned, “We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected.”

Ebola outbreak not “a pandemic emergency”

On Sunday, Tedros declared a public health emergency of international concern. This announcement represents the second-highest level of alarm under the International Health Regulations (IHR), initiating emergency responses globally. On Tuesday, the WHO emergency committee convened and assessed the outbreak. Lucille Blumberg, chair of the committee, stated, “The current situation and criteria for a public health emergency of international concern have been met, and we agree that the current situation does not satisfy the criteria for a pandemic emergency.”

Investigations led by WHO technical officer Anais Legand are focusing on determining how long Ebola has been spreading in the eastern DRC. “Given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago, but investigations are ongoing, and our priority is really to cut the transmission chain by implementing contact tracing, isolating and caring for all suspect and confirmed cases,” Legand explained.

WHO responds to U.S. criticism

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on Tuesday, saying that WHO was “a little late” in identifying the outbreak. Furthermore, President Trump initiated the U.S. withdrawal from WHO last year, criticizing its COVID-19 pandemic response. This withdrawal, which affected funding to international health efforts, has raised concerns among public health experts regarding its impact, particularly in lower-income countries.

Addressing Rubio’s criticism, Tedros articulated, “maybe what the secretary said … could be from lack of understanding of how IHR work, and the responsibilities of WHO and other entities,” emphasizing that WHO supports countries rather than replacing them in outbreak responses.