UNITED STATES PERSPECTIVE

Washington, May 21, 2026. In eastern Congo, an Ebola epidemic of a rare type is progressing at a speed that worries global health authorities. The Bundibugyo variant, identified for only the third time since its discovery in 2007, has been circulating in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu for several weeks, two areas already battered by years of armed conflict. The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern, citing "the scale and speed" of the spread.

Official figures report 51 confirmed cases, 139 suspected deaths, and nearly 600 suspected cases. But the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis in London estimates that the reality is much higher: the true toll could exceed 1,000 cases, due to significant underreporting in remote areas. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, himself admitted on Wednesday that "the scale of the epidemic is much larger" than official data suggests.

The crisis takes on a particular dimension in the United States: several US media outlets — NPR and The Washington Post in the lead — establish a direct link between the massive reductions in foreign aid decided by the Trump administration and the delay in identifying the epidemic. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had prioritized funding for 50 selected emergencies, leaving other programs without resources. Senior health coordinators from humanitarian organizations, including the International Rescue Committee's senior health coordinator in Congo, Dr. Lievin Bangali, emphasize that "years of underfunding have weakened the response capacity" in a region subjected to "immense pressure due to conflicts, displacement, and a collapsing healthcare system".

On the ground, the security situation complicates the response. A treatment center for Ebola was burned by young people who wanted to recover the body of a relative who had died — likely from the disease — and had been denied access. On Tuesday night, militants linked to the Islamic State group killed at least 17 people in the village of Alima, in Ituri. These violence disorganizes contact tracing teams and fuels growing mistrust of healthcare teams.

The geographical spread is alarming. A confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa, the capital, over 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter — suggesting a possible national spread. Two cases have also been reported in Uganda.