ABUJA, Nigeria – The World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined three priorities for the next 30 days to contain the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and prevent further cross-border transmission following imported cases in Kenya and Nigeria.
The priorities were presented on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a WHO press briefing, where Dr Patrick Otim Ramadan highlighted the need to improve security for response teams, mobilise resources and strengthen community engagement in affected areas. Ramadan said ensuring safe access for health workers was essential to sustaining surveillance and response activities in outbreak hotspots.
He warned that insecurity could prevent response teams from reaching affected communities, weakening efforts to identify suspected cases, monitor contacts and interrupt transmission. The second priority is to secure adequate resources and infection prevention and control supplies across affected health zones.
According to WHO, these resources are necessary to protect healthcare workers, strengthen health facilities and improve their capacity to manage suspected and confirmed cases. Ramadan also identified community engagement as a critical part of the response, noting that resistance in some communities could undermine outbreak-control measures.
He said health authorities needed to address local concerns and build trust to encourage early reporting of symptoms and cooperation with response teams. Meanwhile, WHO is conducting a second round of preparedness assessments in neighbouring countries, including the Central African Republic and South Sudan, to evaluate their readiness to detect and respond to potential cases.
The organisation also commended Kenya for its response to an imported Ebola case, describing regional coordination and preparedness as important safeguards against further spread. WHO said strengthening surveillance and response capacity across neighbouring countries remained essential while efforts continued to contain the outbreak at its source in the DRC.
The 30-day priorities place emphasis on maintaining access to affected communities, ensuring health facilities have essential supplies and securing public cooperation with outbreak-control measures.
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