Mukwege warns of deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege has warned about the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the rare strain could become “the deadliest among all recorded outbreaks,” according to an article he published in the French newspaper Le Monde. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on May 17, 2026. In its latest figures dated May 30, the agency said 746 suspected cases and 176 deaths had been recorded. Those figures included 85 confirmed deaths and two confirmed cases in Uganda. Mukwege said there is no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, and cited the WHO as estimating that developing treatment would take six to nine months at best. He also said the country is responding to the outbreak with more limited resources than in previous periods because of a decline in aid from the United States and Europe.