… World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the gravity of the situation on the X platform, stating, “Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling.” He further remarked, …
… WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said all contacts of two cases identified in South Africa had now completed their follow-up period, with no additional cases reported. …
… In a post on X, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded since 21 June “linked to high temperatures in Europe”. …
… Malawi said on Monday it was bringing hundreds more citizens home by bus from the city of Durban. “It is profoundly heartbreaking to witness another surge of xenophobic violence in #SouthAfrica,” wrote World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X, calling it …
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has strongly condemned the latest wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa. …
… The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the outbreak had a “big head start” but response teams are now “catching up”. …
… Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director – General of WHO, speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, expressed concern about blanket travel restrictions imposed by some countries in response to the outbreak, saying such measures were disrupting supply chains and hampering respons …
France and Belgium confirmed a combined toll of over 3,200 excess deaths during a record Western European heatwave in late June, with France reporting 2,025 additional deaths between June 22–28 (a 29 per cent surge) and authorities warning that these figures likely underestimate the true impact.
France and Belgium confirmed a combined toll of over 3,200 excess deaths during a record Western European heatwave in late June, with France reporting 2,025 additional deaths between June 22–28 (a 29 per cent surge) and authorities warning that these figures likely underestimate the true impact.
A clinical trial of two therapeutics for the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola has begun in the DRC with the enrolment of the first patient, the WHO announced. The current outbreak has confirmed over 1,400 cases and 438 deaths in the DRC as of 30 June, with additional cases reported in Uganda and France.
The WHO Director-General said the hantavirus outbreak is nearing its end, with all contacts of identified cases having completed their follow-up periods and no additional cases reported; the total remains 13 cases, including three fatalities.
The WHO chief said more than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded since 21 June linked to high temperatures in Europe, with Germany hitting a record 41.7 °C on Sunday. France's health ministry reported around 1,000 more deaths than expected since Wednesday, mostly among those aged 65 and over.
South Africa's justice minister has warned that a surge in attacks on foreign nationals is damaging the country's global image and affecting South African artists and businesses abroad. The violence has prompted several African countries, including Ghana, Malawi, and Mozambique, to repatriate their nationals over safety concerns.
The WHO Director-General has strongly condemned renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, describing them as a "tragic betrayal" of the country's historic struggle for freedom. The violence has killed at least five Ethiopians and five Mozambicans, displaced thousands of families, and sparked mass demonstrations.
The WHO director-general said Uganda should reconsider its temporary closure of its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo over an Ebola outbreak, stating that blanket travel restrictions don't work. Uganda has reported 19 confirmed Ebola cases, mostly from people who entered from Congo, where the outbreak has 544 confirmed cases.
The World Health Organisation announced a $518 million, six-month plan to combat an Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The outbreak, involving the Bundibugyo strain for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, has recorded 381 confirmed cases and 62 deaths in Congo, and 19 cases and two deaths in Uganda.
Democratic Republic of Congo authorities reported around 380 confirmed Ebola cases and 60 deaths, down from over 1,000 suspected cases, but the reduction reflects improved data through lab testing rather than a decrease in danger. Key challenges remain, including that only about 45% of contacts with Ebola patients are being traced—below the 90% needed for control—and mistrust in affected communities.
Ghana has activated its Ebola preparedness and response plan in response to outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda, strengthening surveillance, laboratory testing, and case management systems. As of June 3, 2026, the DRC had recorded 344 confirmed Ebola cases and 60 deaths, while Uganda had recorded 15 confirmed cases and one death.
The World Health Organisation said Wednesday that the world is "catching up" with the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there have been 344 confirmed cases and 60 confirmed deaths. The outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain, has spread to neighbouring Uganda with 15 confirmed cases including one death.
The WHO Director-General concluded his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo by briefing President Felix Tshisekedi on the response to an Ebola outbreak that aid agencies warn is likely much larger than official figures. Health officials say the outbreak, already the third-largest on record, persisted undetected for weeks and responders are struggling to bring it under control.
Médecins Sans Frontières warns that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "deeply alarming," with MSF deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales stating that never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after declaration. The outbreak has produced over 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 deaths in DR Congo, with Uganda reporting nine confirmed cases and one death.
Three Red Cross volunteers died in the Democratic Republic of Congo from suspected Ebola likely caught while managing dead bodies while working in the eastern Ituri region. The outbreak, involving the Bundibugyo species of Ebola with no proven vaccine, has resulted in more than 170 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases, prompting the WHO to raise the public health risk to "very high."
The World Health Organization has raised the public health risk from the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo from "high" to "very high," while the wider African region faces a "high" risk and the global risk remains "low." The rare Bundibugyo species, with no proven vaccine and a fatality rate of about a third, has resulted in 177 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases so far.
The WHO states it could take up to nine months before a vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola is ready, as two candidate vaccines are still in development and have not entered clinical trials. With 51 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two in Uganda, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern but said the risk at the global level is low.
The WHO says a vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola could take up to nine months to develop, as two candidate vaccines are still undergoing development and have not entered clinical trials. There have been 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, with 51 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two in Uganda, though the WHO assessed the risk as high at national and regional levels but low globally.
The WHO Director-General has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda, citing 51 confirmed cases and 139 suspected deaths, with nearly 600 suspected infections under investigation. The organisation warns the epidemic poses a serious regional threat and expects case numbers to continue rising.
The World Health Organisation warned that cases of a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern Ituri province may be spreading faster than originally thought, with officials reporting 136 deaths and more than 514 suspected cases in the country, while modelling suggested substantial under-detection and potentially more than 1,000 cases already.
The WHO's expert panel is meeting to discuss vaccine options for a new Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, where the death toll has risen to an estimated 131 from 513 suspected cases, prompting the WHO to declare an international health emergency.
The Director-General of the WHO has commended President Mahama's "Accra Reset" initiative as a rallying call for countries seeking greater health sovereignty and reduced dependence on donor funding, amid declining international aid. Speaking at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, he stated the global health community is at a critical moment requiring bold reforms to build a new global health architecture.
The World Health Organisation has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province a public health emergency of international concern. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus with 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported, has spread to Uganda with two confirmed cases and poses risk of broader regional spread.
Diagnostic tests calibrated for the wrong Ebola strain, improper sample storage and shipping, and local funeral practices allowed the virus to spread undetected into rebel-held territory and Uganda before health officials confirmed new infections in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, with 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, and 246 suspected cases reported so far.
President Mahama announced at the World Health Assembly that Ghana is on track to exit financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, by 2030 as it strengthens self-reliance in healthcare financing and vaccine delivery.
President Mahama addressed the World Health Assembly in Geneva, calling for ambitious reforms to reshape global health systems and strengthen healthcare delivery in developing countries. He emphasized that the emerging health order must be driven by "agency, not aid" and "partnership, not paternalism," with greater ownership from Global South nations.
President Mahama told the World Health Assembly that Ghana has implemented aggressive healthcare reforms, including a free primary healthcare programme to serve the 34% of the population not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme, and removed the cap on the National Health Insurance Fund, releasing an additional GH¢3 billion for healthcare investment.
President Mahama will deliver a keynote address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, where he will advocate greater health sovereignty for countries in the Global South and promote the "Accra Reset Initiative," a programme aimed at promoting health sovereignty and reducing dependence on external donor support.
The World Health Organization has declared an Ebola outbreak in DR Congo's Ituri province a public health emergency of international concern, with around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines, and has spread to Uganda with two confirmed cases.
A woman who travelled on a hantavirus-hit cruise ship is isolating on the Pitcairn Islands, a remote British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific, after having contact with a hantavirus-exposed individual, though she is showing no signs of illness. Three people have died after travelling on the MV Hondius cruise ship, with the WHO confirming nine cases and two others suspected.
The WHO chief said there is "no sign" of a larger hantavirus outbreak following the evacuation of the MV Hondius cruise ship, though he warned the situation could change and more cases may emerge in the coming weeks. Seven cases have been confirmed overall, three people have died, and twelve Dutch hospital employees are in quarantine after treating an evacuated passenger.