An activist shouts slogans while being arrested by plain clothes Kenyan police officers during a protest against a US-built Ebola quarantine centre planned to begin operations at Kenya's Laikipia Air Base, in downtown Nairobi on June 2, 2026. The US-built facility was due to open last week to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is battling a major Ebola outbreak.
Dan Steinbock
For weeks, the latest Ebola outbreak in Central Africa was seen as a regional emergency. But now there is mounting evidence that the outbreak may be broader, more fragmented and entrenched than initially believed. On Saturday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the virus is spreading faster than the response.
The crisis is centred in eastern Congo, with spillovers into Uganda and rising concern across neighbouring countries. Official numbers remain uncertain because surveillance systems in conflict zones are incomplete.
The outbreak circulated for weeks, perhaps longer, before it was fully recognised. By the time authorities moved aggressively, transmission chains may have spread across borders, refugee corridors and informal trade networks.
