Ebola outbreak is at least double the formal tally, WHO says
By ReutersReuters
FILE PHOTO: A health worker in personal protective equipment stands near displaced people waiting for the burial of suspected Ebola victims at the Kigonze displaced persons camp, one month after an outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo
Gradel Muyisa Mumbere
Reuters
GENEVA - The true number of Ebola cases in Congo is at least double, and possibly four times, the official tally, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said on Tuesday.
"We think, with some of our support and modelling, the scale of the outbreak is at least 2-4 times the number of cases we are finding," Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, told reporters in Geneva after a visit to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
(Reporting by Emma FargeEditing by Linda Pasquini)
People of the Kigonze displaced persons camp lower a coffin during a funeral of a person who is suspected to have died from Ebola, at Nyamurongo Cemetery, one month after an Ebola outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Reuters
A drone view of displaced people from the Kigonze camp attending the burial of suspected Ebola victims at Nyamurongo Cemetery, one month after an outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Reuters
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 6:11 AM.
