'Catastrophic collision' of Ebola and conflict, WHO head says in ceasefire plea as Uganda closes border

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) "faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict" as the Ebola outbreak continues, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

It is suspected that 220 people have died in the country from the Bundibugyo strain of the virus - for which there is no vaccine or treatment.

More than 900 Ebola cases are suspected in the east of the DRC, mainly in Ituri Province, where nearly one million people are displaced amid conflict between militant groups.

It has also spread to Uganda, which has ordered an immediate closure of the border with the DRC after seven suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain were recorded.

The WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern over the outbreak, and has previously said that the DRC is particularly vulnerable to outbreaks because of late detection, the absence ⁠of a vaccine or virus-specific therapeutics, widespread armed violence and high mobility among the population.

Echoing this, WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus - due to travel to the country this week - has issued a plea to "prioritise human survival above everything else".

In a statement posted on social media, Mr Ghebreyesus said the eastern DRC "now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response".

"Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access," he said. "Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors.

"Frontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible."

Mr Ghebreyesus added: "We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling.

"We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak. To allow us safe and sustained access for medical teams.

"We plea to prioritise human survival above everything else."

'Catastrophic conditions' for doctors

Eastern Congo has seen attacks by dozens of separate rebel and militant groups for years, some of them with links to foreign countries or the Islamic State (IS) group.

While the Congolese government still has tenuous control over most of the northeastern Ituri Province, the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group linked to IS, is one of the dominant rebel groups there, and is responsible for violent attacks against civilian targets.

Before the outbreak, humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders said that the insecurity in Ituri had worsened, causing doctors and nurses to flee and leaving overwhelmed health facilities and, in some parts, "catastrophic conditions".

On top of the shortage of medical personnel, the fact that so many people are displaced is leading to concerns the disease could spread through large displacement camps.

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Health experts also say international aid cuts last year by the US and other rich nations were devastating for eastern Congo, and aid groups fighting the outbreak on the ground say they don't have the equipment they need, such as face shields and suits to protect health workers from infection, testing kits, body bags and other materials needed to safely bury the bodies of victims, which can be highly contagious.

Scientists from the University of Oxford are among those working to develop a new vaccine which could be used to combat the outbreak.

However, the WHO says no vaccine will be available for at least six to nine months.

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Catastrophic collision' of Ebola and conflict, WHO head says in ceasefire plea as Uganda