(TNND) — The World Health Organization chief on Friday addressed the Ebola outbreak in the Congo, calling it “deeply worrisome” and confirming 82 cases and seven deaths.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus blamed the rapid spread of the disease on a lack of medical resources and anger among the population, which has hampered response efforts in the region.
“These numbers are changing as surveillance efforts and laboratory testing improve, but violence and insecurity are impeding the response,” the director wrote on X.
An Ebola treatment center in Rwampara was set on fire Thursday by youths upset after being stopped from retrieving the body of a friend who apparently died of Ebola, witnesses and police confirmed.
Bodies of Ebola victims can be highly contagious, and medical authorities are trying to control burials whenever possible.
The United Nations announced Friday that it had released $60 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate emergency response efforts.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the Trump administration would “lean into” Ebola response efforts, prioritizing funding for 50 emergency clinics in affected areas. The U.S. has contributed $13 million to the effort so far, and Rubio said additional funding would follow.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that all travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past 21 days will now be required to first land at Dulles Airport before entering the U.S., including American citizens.
Upon landing, staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will screen passengers for symptoms and take their temperatures. Anyone with a fever or other symptoms will undergo further evaluation.
Charred hospital beds stand in smoldering Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, Thursday, May 21, 2026, after it was set fire by people angry at being stopped from retrieving a body, according to a witness and police. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
If officials reasonably believe someone has Ebola, that person will be taken to a hospital and placed in an isolation unit.
While health officials have insisted the risk of global spread remains low, the WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe the outbreak in the Congo is larger than the number of confirmed cases detected so far.
“I expect the number of cases to increase as surveillance becomes more and more rigorous,” Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said.
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