A resident of Bosolo village receives an Ebola vaccine as part of a ring vaccination effort supported by WHO in 2025 (WHO.L)
On May 23, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified the global threat posed by the recent Ebola outbreak as low, including for Vietnam, while commending Vietnamese health authorities for swiftly strengthening preparedness and response measures.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health said that the WHO Director General formally declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17 following the spread of Ebola linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Unlike other Ebola strains, Bundibugyo currently has neither an approved vaccine nor a licensed treatment.
The WHO Representative to Vietnam Angela Pratt stated that as of May 21, the two countries had recorded 85 confirmed infections and 10 confirmed fatalities. Additionally, authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo documented 746 suspected infections and 176 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.
Although by May 22 the WHO had upgraded its assessment of the Ebola threat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high”, the organisation noted that the wider global danger remained low despite elevated regional concern across Central Africa. Moreover, the Vietnamese authorities have stepped up public communication campaigns in recent days to ensure accurate information on prevention and containment reaches communities nationwide.
The WHO office in Vietnam is working closely with the Ministry of Health by providing technical support for surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing, infection control, border health measures and emergency coordination. Additional rapid risk assessments and specialist training programmes are also being organised to improve the country’s preparedness.
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