WHO chief visits Ebola outbreak epicenter in eastern Congo as cases outpace response

May 30, 2026 / 12:24 PM EDT

/ CBS/AP

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The head of the World Health Organization on Saturday visited eastern Congo's Bunia, a city at the heart of an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola, where the virus is spreading faster than the response despite better-organized health facilities and new aid arrivals.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to visit a treatment center and meet local authorities, health workers and affected families in Bunia."The best way to address this is to provide all the necessary support to fight the disease at its epicenter and to continue offering every assistance needed," the WHO's director-general told reporters late Friday.The health organization said latest official figures showed 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths. The number could be three to four times higher than what is being reported, "CBS Saturday Morning" reported. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan ministry of health said Friday.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrives in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 30, 2026.