Ebola Outbreak: WHO's Chief Issues New Statement, Says It's 'Spreading Rapidly'

On Friday, May 22, the chief of the World Health Organization said that the Ebola outbreak in Congo now poses a "very high risk" and is "spreading rapidly" in that country.

Amid the message from the WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, he also assured that the global risk for spread is still low. Per the report, 82 cases have been confirmed in Congo, along with seven confirmed deaths, according to the Associated Press. Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that the actual outbreak is likely "much larger" than these numbers and more along the lines of 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.

Ebola Outbreak in Congo and Uganda Just Recently Started to Raise Concerns, But It's Likely Been Spreading Longer

Back on May 17, the Associated Press reported that a rare Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda had raised concerns following more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. According to a report from the New York Times, out on Friday, May 22, health officials believe the current epidemic started in Mongwalu in Congo's Ituri province. Cases have also been confirmed in Kampala, Uganda.

Also on Friday, Tom Fletcher, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, stated that he is "allocating up to $60 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider region."

"We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak," he urged. He also thanked the United States for their 'swift financial contribution to support the response."

How Does Ebola Spread?

Ebola spreads from person-to-person by direct contact, which the WHO describes as "through broken skin or mucous membranes," with "the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola disease; and objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with body fluids (like blood, feces, vomit) from a person sick with the disease or who has died from the disease."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 6:50 PM.