DRC Ebola outbreak could have begun as early as January, WHO chief says

The Guardian UK Wednesday 03 June 2026, 17:29 UTC By Kat Lay Global health correspondent 1 min read

Key Points

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the virus ‘had a big head start’ but that the response was catching upThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have begun as early as January, the head of the World Health Organization said, giving the virus “a big head start”. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the response was being hindered by blanket travel restrictions and highlighted high levels of community mistrust and low levels of contact tracing as key concerns.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the virus ‘had a big head start’ but that the response was catching up

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have begun as early as January, the head of the World Health Organization said, giving the virus “a big head start”.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the response was being hindered by blanket travel restrictions and highlighted high levels of community mistrust and low levels of contact tracing as key concerns.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (PERSON) the Democratic Republic of the Congo (LOCATION) the World Health Organization (ORG) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (PERSON)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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