The Department of Health (DOH) has assured the public that the Philippines remains free of Ebola, even as the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday, May 22, 2026 upgraded its country-level risk assessment of the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from “high” to “very high.” Regional risk for surrounding African countries remains “high”; global risk remains “low.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual ministerial briefing on Monday, May 25 that the Democratic Republic of the Congo had reported 101 confirmed cases and 10 confirmed deaths, with more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths still under investigation. Uganda has recorded five confirmed cases and one death. The public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) was declared on Sunday, May 17.
“To be very clear, we do not have any Ebola case in the Philippines,” DOH spokesperson and Undersecretary Albert Domingo said, citing the absence of any WHO travel-ban recommendation and emphasizing that the Bundibugyo strain spreads through bodily fluids rather than the air. “Ang Ebola, hindi siya airborne. Hindi siya parang COVID-19,” he added — Ebola is not airborne, it is not like COVID-19.
The Bureau of Quarantine has implemented enhanced screening for travelers arriving from or transiting through the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, under a directive from Health Secretary Ted Herbosa. The Bundibugyo strain is one of six known Ebola virus species; case-fatality rates in previous Bundibugyo outbreaks have ranged from approximately 30 to 50 percent per WHO, and unlike Ebola virus disease, there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic for this strain.
“We know this virus, and we know how to stop it,” Tedros said at Monday’s briefing. “We have stopped every previous Ebola outbreak, and we will stop this one too.” WHO has released US$3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies; the outbreak is centered in Ituri Province’s Mongbwalu health zone, with additional confirmed cases in Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu.
The next WHO emergency-committee reassessment is expected in the coming weeks. DOH said it will update Philippine travel advisories and Bureau of Quarantine screening protocols as warranted.
