WHO DG Issues 'Maximum Mobilization' Emergency Appeal — Calls for Accelerated Clinical Trial Framework After DRC Visit

Following his in-person visit to Bunia and Kinshasa on 30 May 2026, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued an Emergency Appeal on 31 May 2026, calling on all member states and international partners for 'maximum mobilization' to avert a catastrophic escalation of the 2026 BDBV outbreak. The appeal cited the 1,000-case threshold breach and the imminent vaccine gap created by the 28 May WHO expert panel ruling that halted rVSV-ZEBOV (Ervebo) off-label ring vaccination. Key asks in the appeal: (1) Immediate contributions to WHO's Emergency Contingency Fund target of $200M for the BDBV response — the fund had reached $47M as of late May, leaving a $153M gap; (2) Accelerated review of ChAdOx1 BDBV clinical trial protocol at proposed Bunia/Kampala sites, with WHO committing to regulatory fast-track support; (3) CEPI and Gavi contributions to production scale-up for ChAdOx1 BDBV and rVSV BDBV (IAVI) vaccine candidates; (4) Additional ETU capacity and field epidemiology surge in Mongbwalu; (5) UNSC engagement on humanitarian access in Ituri, citing 23% zone inaccessibility. The appeal also urged neighboring countries — Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi, Tanzania — to maintain enhanced health screening at open borders rather than following Uganda's closure model, reiterating WHO IHR guidance. France, the UK, and Germany announced they were reviewing requests for additional funding contributions in response to the DG appeal.