WHO Director-General Media Briefing: 'We Are Catching Up' — Calls for Accelerated Funding and BDBV Clinical Trials

On 3 June 2026, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened a dedicated media briefing on the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda, reporting that WHO was 'catching up' on the epidemic while noting critical gaps that remained. Key points from the briefing: (1) DRC confirmed cases had reached 363 total across 3 provinces and 19 health zones, with Ituri alone spanning 17 health zones; (2) Contact tracing coverage in DRC remained at approximately 45% — far below the 90% threshold needed for containment — due to community resistance and insecurity in approximately 23% of the Ituri outbreak zone; (3) The DG called on international donors to urgently fill the WHO response plan funding gap, warning that underfunded response operations directly prolonged the epidemic; (4) He cited the improved treatment infrastructure — including the MSF 80-bed Goma ETC operational since June 1 and ETCs under construction in Mongbwalu, Bukavu, and Lwiro — as a positive sign. He confirmed that an Africa CDC-WHO joint continental response plan was being finalized to seek an additional $518 million for African-country preparedness and response, scheduled for announcement on June 5. The briefing reflected a shift in tone from the maximum-mobilization emergency call of May 31 toward cautious optimism while maintaining an urgent posture on funding and access.