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STORY: UN / DRC EBOLA UPDATE
TRT: 3:40
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 18 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
18 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“You will have seen that yesterday, the World Health Organization said that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, highlighting the high risk of further spread and the likelihood that the outbreak may be larger than currently detected. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The outbreak is centred in the province of Ituri, where more than 482 suspected cases have been reported since April, including eight confirmed cases and around 116 deaths among suspected cases across several health zones. Testing of suspected cases is ongoing. A case was also confirmed yesterday in Goma, in the province of North Kivu, raising concerns about potential spread in a densely populated urban area.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We, alongside humanitarian partners, are supporting the Government-led Ebola response. WHO is supporting national efforts through, among other things, the deployment of technical expertise and rapid response teams. Yesterday, more than five tons of WHO medical supplies, along with experts, were airlifted to Ituri by the World Food Programme to reinforce response efforts. Needless to say, additional resources and sustained humanitarian access will be critical to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread.”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We and our humanitarian partners warn that insecurity, population movements and displacement are significantly complicating surveillance, contact tracing and response efforts, in a context already marked by violence, food insecurity and severe needs. Nearly 9 million people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu are facing crisis or worse levels of hunger, further straining fragile health systems, while only 30 per cent of required health funding has been mobilized. We call on the international community to urgently scale up support for both the Ebola response and the broader humanitarian response in the DRC. Without immediate action, life-saving assistance will not reach those most in need and critical humanitarian gains risk being reversed. The $1,4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the DRC is currently 34 per cent funded with $478 million received.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“For their part, our peacekeeping colleagues on the ground reaffirmed their support to the authorities of the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and all partners involved in the response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The UN Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, is closely following the guidance of the Ministry of Health and WHO and continues to adapt its prevention measures accordingly. MONUSCO Medical Services have already reinforced screening procedures at the entrance to Mission clinics and the systematic use of personal protective equipment for medical personnel in contact with patients. The mission also underscored the importance of reliable and verified information and encourages everyone to refer to official communications from competent health authorities. The Mission remains mobilized, within its mandate and in coordination with the Congolese authorities and relevant partners, to support an effective response aimed at protecting populations and contributing to health security in affected areas.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
The World Health Organization said that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, “highlighting the high risk of further spread and the likelihood that the outbreak may be larger than currently detected,” a UN Spokesperson said.
Speaking to reporters today on the outbreak, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, “for which there are currently no licensed vaccines or specific therapeutics.”
Haq also said, “the outbreak is centred in the province of Ituri, where more than 482 suspected cases have been reported since April, including eight confirmed cases and around 116 deaths among suspected cases across several health zones,” adding that testing of suspected cases is ongoing.
“A case was also confirmed yesterday in Goma, in the province of North Kivu, raising concerns about potential spread in a densely populated urban area,” the Deputy Spokesperson added.
The UN alongside humanitarian partners, are supporting the Government-led Ebola response, Haq said, highlighting that WHO is supporting national efforts through, among other things, the deployment of technical expertise and rapid response teams.
On Sunday (17 May), more than five tons of WHO medical supplies, along with experts, were airlifted to Ituri by the World Food Programme to reinforce response efforts. “Needless to say, additional resources and sustained humanitarian access will be critical to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread,” the Deputy Spokesperson said.
The UN and its humanitarian partners warned that insecurity, population movements and displacement are “significantly complicating surveillance, contact tracing and response efforts, in a context already marked by violence, food insecurity and severe needs.”
Haq said, “nearly 9 million people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu are facing crisis or worse levels of hunger, further straining fragile health systems, while only 30 per cent of required health funding has been mobilized.”
The UN called on the international community to “urgently scale up support for both the Ebola response and the broader humanitarian response in the DRC,” stressing “without immediate action, life-saving assistance will not reach those most in need and critical humanitarian gains risk being reversed.”
The Deputy Spokesperson said, “the $1,4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the DRC is currently 34 per cent funded with $478 million received.”
The UN peacekeeping on the ground reaffirmed their support to the authorities of the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and all partners involved in the response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak, Haq said.
He said the UN Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, is closely following the guidance of the Ministry of Health and WHO and continues to adapt its prevention measures accordingly. “MONUSCO Medical Services have already reinforced screening procedures at the entrance to Mission clinics and the systematic use of personal protective equipment for medical personnel in contact with patients,” the Deputy Spokesperson added.
The mission also underscored “the importance of reliable and verified information and encourages everyone to refer to official communications from competent health authorities.”
Haq concluded, “the Mission remains mobilized, within its mandate and in coordination with the Congolese authorities and relevant partners, to support an effective response aimed at protecting populations and contributing to health security in affected areas.”
