Allison Krugman

On May 25, as World Health Organization (WHO) member states wrapped up the World Health Assembly, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the latest Ebola epidemic is outpacing current response efforts and emergency teams are "playing catch-up." His warning came 10 days after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), citing 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths.

As the seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79) opens in Geneva this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that an Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

On February 28, 2026, the United States launched a large-scale offensive against Iran, which could precipitate severe humanitarian consequences. Conflict shatters health systems first. Violence can cause vaccination programs to collapse, maternal and child health care to suffer, and chronic illnesses to go untreated. Emergency response capacity erodes quickly.