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WHO chief fires back at Rubio over Ebola comments

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by Ashleigh Fields - 05/20/26 7:20 PM ET

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by Ashleigh Fields - 05/20/26 7:20 PM ET

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The World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief on Wednesday shot down Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments alleging the agency was a “little late” to identify an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We don’t replace the countries’ work, we only support them,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva, as reported by Politico.

“It could be from lack of understanding of how [the International Health Regulations] work and [the] responsibilities of WHO and other entities,” he added, likely indirectly referencing Rubio’s comments.

Global officials are currently monitoring the hundreds of suspected cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are currently 134 suspected deaths.

An American worker contracted the disease while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the CDC.

The person was subsequently transported to Germany for care.

The May outbreak marks the 17th outbreak of Ebola in the country within the past 50 years, and officials said the most recent outbreak ended last December, per the CDC.

WHO leads global efforts to prepare for, detect and respond to disease outbreaks by deploying emergency medical teams, issuing guidance and managing international stockpiles for vaccines.

In January, the Trump administration officially withdrew from the international organization over the alleged “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic” and “other global health crises” relinquishing the country’s ties to the organization as a founding member.

WHO has defended its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and said it “regrets” the president’s decision to depart.

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