WHO: Ebola outbreak in Congo can be controlled within three months

A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday (August 18) it was still possible to bring under control an Ebola outbreak that is outpacing containment efforts and has become the second-deadliest on record.

Reuters

August 18, 2026

WHO: Ebola outbreak in Congo can be controlled within three months

FILE PHOTO: Members of the Civil Protection team, which works to help mitigate the spread of the Ebola virus, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfect after handling the body of an unidentified man, who according to his family, died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 10, 2026.

Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters

The global health agency said earlier this month that reversing Ebola's spread would be possible within a three-month period, but since then there have been signs that it has worsened, expanding to a sixth province.

"About the next plan for the three months, yes, if you have the necessary resources, I think it will be possible to do that," Thierno Balde, WHO incident manager, told reporters in Geneva by video link from Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The outbreak, Congo's worst yet of 17, has so far killed at least 2,325 people. Resources are currently lagging requirements, and the WHO has raised about 60% of the $115 million it is seeking for the Ebola response.

Still, containment efforts are ramping up and an extra 400 beds have been added in the past two weeks, Balde said.

The WHO Emergency Committee meets on Tuesday to discuss the outbreak, which was deemed a global emergency by the U.N. agency on May 17.

-Editing: Manuel Ausloos; Writing: Emma Farge/Reuters

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