The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as authorities battle a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the country’s hardest-hit province.

The outbreak, the 17th recorded in the DRC and one of the largest since Ebola was first identified, has raised global concern as cases continue to rise faster than the response capacity on the ground.

Tedros travelled to Bunia in Ituri province, where the first cases were confirmed earlier this month, and urged communities to seek medical care early and to follow safe burial practices to prevent further transmission.

He warned that the Ebola virus remains highly contagious after death, stressing that traditional burial practices without protective measures are driving new infections and even attacks on health facilities by grieving communities.Health officials reported between 906 and over 1,000 suspected cases, with more than 220 suspected deaths under investigation.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, making early supportive care such as isolation, rehydration, and pain management essential.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has raised concerns that the response is lagging behind the speed of the outbreak, citing shortages of basic supplies and overwhelmed testing capacity.

International concern has grown further after Brazil reported a suspected Ebola case linked to travel from the DRC, while Uganda temporarily closed its border as a precaution.

Despite these developments, DRC health officials maintain that the situation is under control and argue that prior experience with Ebola outbreaks will help contain the spread.

However, funding shortfalls and reduced donor commitments have raised questions about the adequacy of the global response, with WHO noting it has received only about a third of required funding.