Health
WHO raises Ebola risk level as DRC outbreak worsens, reports new hantavirus cases
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the risk level of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high” nationally as suspected cases approach 750, with the disease already spreading across borders into Uganda.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus announced the updated assessment on Friday during a Member State information session on the Ebola outbreak and a separate hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius.
According to the WHO, DRC has recorded 82 confirmed Ebola cases so far.
However, the agency said the outbreak is likely far larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths already reported.
“In Uganda, two cases have been confirmed in people who travelled from DRC, with one death,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that the organisation previously assessed the outbreak risk as high nationally and regionally, and low globally, but has now revised it to “very high” at the national level, “high” regionally and “low” globally.
No approved vaccines
WHO said the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, unlike previous outbreaks driven by the Zaire strain.
The agency explained that there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo virus, making containment more difficult.
WHO also noted that commonly used Ebola diagnostic tests designed for the Zaire strain do not detect the Bundibugyo strain effectively, contributing to delays in identifying the outbreak.
“There have only been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo, in Uganda in 2007 and DRC in 2012,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.
Conflict worsening outbreak
The organisation warned that insecurity in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu is further complicating response efforts.
According to the WHO, intensified fighting in recent months has displaced more than 100,000 people, while about four million people in the affected areas require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The agency also said approximately 10 million people are facing acute hunger.
Mr Ghebreyesus disclosed that a hospital in Ituri was attacked on Thursday, with tents and medical supplies set on fire.
“Building trust in the affected communities is critical to a successful response,” he said.
WHO said it has deployed 22 international staff to support response operations and released $3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
Hantavirus deaths
Meanwhile, the WHO said the hantavirus outbreak linked to passengers and crew aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has now recorded 12 cases and three deaths.
The latest confirmed case involved a crew member who disembarked in Tenerife and was later repatriated to the Netherlands, where the individual remains in isolation.
WHO noted that no additional deaths have been reported since 2 May, when the outbreak was first reported.
The agency said more than 600 contacts across 30 countries are still being monitored, while efforts continue to trace a small number of high-risk contacts.
Countries supporting the response include Argentina, Cabo Verde, Chile, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom.
No Ebola in Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said the country has recorded no confirmed Ebola case linked to the ongoing outbreak in Central and East Africa.
The agency said the country remains on heightened alert and has strengthened surveillance at points of entry, including airports, seaports and land borders, to prevent importation of the virus.
The health body also warned against misinformation circulating on social media suggesting that Ebola cases had been detected in Nigeria, describing such claims as false and capable of causing unnecessary panic.
READ ALSO: WHO honours six global health champions at World Health Assembly
Following the outbreak declaration, authorities said surveillance systems at points of entry had been strengthened, while emergency response mechanisms were being reviewed to improve readiness.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) also announced additional health screening measures and enhanced Ebola surveillance across international airports.
The measures include heightened passenger monitoring, screening protocols, and coordination with health authorities to detect and respond swiftly to suspected cases.
The 79th World Health Assembly has approved the development of a post-2030 global tuberculosis strategy, with member-states requesting World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus to coordinate consultations ahead of a draft presentation at the 81st World Health Assembly in 2028.
WHO said on Thursday that the proposed strategy would guide the global tuberculosis response using emerging scientific advances and current epidemiological trends, while aligning TB programmes with primary healthcare and universal health coverage priorities.
The agency said the strategy supported preparations for the 2028 United Nations High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis, sustaining political momentum beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline amid inequality, conflict, displacement, underfunding.
According to WHO, expanded tuberculosis treatment saved an estimated 83 million lives between 2000 and 2024, while 2024 recorded the first post-pandemic decline in infections and highest access to tuberculosis services.
WHO warned that tuberculosis remained a leading infectious killer in spite of progress, citing gaps caused by pandemic disruptions, climate-related displacement, inequality, conflict, and underfunding, leaving End TB Strategy and 2030 targets unmet.
In a separate resolution, delegates recognised Steatotic Liver Disease as a growing noncommunicable disease burden affecting 1.7 billion people globally, with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and alcohol-associated liver disease driving complications.
The resolution urged countries to integrate Steatotic Liver Disease into national noncommunicable disease strategies, strengthen primary healthcare, improve surveillance, address unhealthy diets and alcohol use, while WHO provides support and reports.
READ ALSO: WHO honours six global health champions at World Health Assembly
“Member States also endorsed a resolution on haemophilia and other bleeding disorders to close gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and care,” WHO said, noting 70 per cent of patients globally remain undiagnosed.
WHO said countries would strengthen diagnostic capacity, referral pathways, medicine access, data collection, and public awareness, while delegates warned that health misinformation threatened public safety and required multisectoral collaboration and engagement.
(NAN)
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a global health humanitarian non-governmental organisation, said it treated 60,566 children for malnutrition in Zamfara State in 2025 alone.
In an official communication posted on the NGO’s official Facebook page on Wednesday, MSF said the situation was aggravated by hunger and disease.
‘The rains also coincide with the lean season, when food stored are exhausted and new harvests are still months away. Undernutrition weakens immune systems, turning common illnesses into deadly threats, particularly for children.
“In 2025, MSF treated 60,566 children for malnutrition in Zamfara, as hunger and disease combined into a dangerous cycle,’ the organisation said.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that Zamfara State is the epicentre of a decade-long menace of banditry that has ravaged Nigeria’s northwest.
The bike-riding terrorists often invade communities, killing and abducting residents. Most of those affected in the rural communities are farmers and traders.
Killing of farmers and displacement of others has affected food production as a PREMIUM TIMES field investigation revealed in 2023.
Besides malnutrition, MSF said it has also treated children for various diseases in the state.
In 2025, the group said it ‘treated 136,778 malaria and 13,877 cholera patients in Zamfara, showing how quickly illness escalates during the rainy season.’
The health NGO said every year, the rainy season brought diseases, complicating the already strained situation in the state and the sub-region.
‘In northwestern Nigeria, particularly in Zamfara State, the rainy season brings more than relief from the heat. It brings distress, disease, and preventable deaths.
” For communities already affected by years of armed violence, displacement, and poverty, daily survival between May and September becomes an overwhelming struggle as flooding, outbreaks of infectious diseases, and worsening food insecurity come together,” it noted.
READ ALSO: Zamfara govt gives free medical treatment to 6,842 persons
MSF said while it would continue to scale up its emergency responses across northern Nigeria. However, it noted that most of the deaths were preventable.
“Preventive action before and during the rainy season is critical. Strengthening community awareness, improving access to safe water and sanitation, and ensuring timely vaccination campaigns can reduce the impact of diseases,” said Sani Adamu, nursing activity manager in MSF project Shinkafi.
“Health facilities must also be properly equipped and supported to diagnose and treat patients quickly and effectively.”
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