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Nobel Prize winner warns: New Ebola epidemic could become the most dangerous in history

2026-06-03 19:29:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Nobel Prize winner warns: New Ebola epidemic could become the most dangerous in

Nobel Peace Prize-winning doctor Denis Mukwege warned that the new Ebola epidemic, which is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, could become the deadliest ever recorded.

Mukwege also called on all parties to the conflict in the region to accept an immediate ceasefire to help curb the spread of the disease.

In an article published in the French newspaper Le Monde, Mukwege stressed that the current epidemic is not simply a health crisis, but an emergency that was foreseeable due to the ongoing violence, neglect and political failures in the region.

According to him, this is the 17th Ebola epidemic to hit the Democratic Republic of Congo, just five months after the end of the previous outbreak.

Mukwege explained that the rare variant of the virus, known as Bundibugyo ebolavirus infection, has been circulating undetected for at least six weeks. He blamed cuts in international aid, which he said forced laboratories to test mainly for the more common variant of Ebola, the Zaire variant.

"If urgent measures are not taken, this epidemic could become the deadliest ever recorded ," he warned.

The Nobel Prize-winning doctor stressed that eastern Congo is not a neutral environment where the virus simply emerged. According to him, decades of foreign intervention and conflicts between armed groups have created deep distrust among the population and fueled the spread of disinformation.

He added that many health centers have been destroyed, isolation units have been burned, while health workers have been threatened, attacked and even killed while performing their duties.

Mukwege also criticized the significant reduction in US aid to Congo. According to him, USAID aid to the country has fallen by about 68%, from over $1.41 billion in 2024 to just $451 million in 2025.

He said that local epidemiological capacities, laboratory networks and supply chains, built over the years with the support of USAID and the European Union, have been severely weakened or dismantled.

In conclusion, Mukwege called on governments, international donors, United Nations (UN) agencies, humanitarian organizations, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa CDC, to mobilize immediately to address the crisis. He stressed that health care workers must be supported and protected effectively to avoid an even greater humanitarian catastrophe. /CNA





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