5 Ebola patients have recovered from rare strain of virus, WHO chief says

May 31, 2026 / 8:38 AM EDT

/ CBS/AP

Add CBS News on Google

The World Health Organization chief said five people have now recovered from a rare type of Ebola, underscoring the importance of seeking care for symptoms of the disease. Despite the lack of an approved treatment or vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus, which is behind the current Ebola outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said these five cases exemplify that recovery from the illness is still possible. The WHO had said Friday that one patient recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, marking the first documented recovery of a person with a confirmed case since this outbreak began."Four people will be discharged today and there was one that was discharged the day before yesterday," Tedros said during the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri in eastern Congo, which is at the center of the current outbreak."Of course, we're still working on vaccines and treatments but that doesn't mean that people cannot recover from Ebola," he added.

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, center right, visits the Evangelical Medical Center (CEM) in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 31, 2026.