The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Story: DRC Ebola update – OCHA WHO
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
Duration: 3’02”
DATELINE: 15 September 2026 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND and broll from Lita, Ituri, DR Congo including at a treatment centre. Please credit WHO.
Speakers:
- Julien Harneis, Special Ebola Coordinator (OCHA)
- Dr Olivier le Polain, Unit Head for Epidemiology and Analytics for Response (WHO)
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot, UN flag alley.
- Wide, Press Room, podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Julien Harneis, Special Ebola Coordinator (OCHA): “It is, it remains, a deadly and massive epidemic, there are some areas of progress but nonetheless in other areas we continue to see growth in cases.”
- Wide, Press Room, podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Dr Olivier le Polain, Unit Head for Epidemiology and Analytics for Response (WHO): “As of 12 September, we've had 7,200 cases reported and close to 3,500 deaths across 62 health zones and now seven provinces, covering a very vast geographic area. Although the response has been unprecedented in its scale, the epidemic continues to expand.”
- Medium-wide, podium speakers and TV screen showing speaker.
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Julien Harneis, Special Ebola Coordinator (OCHA): “To describe the extent, we have cases in Bunia, in Ituri and in the far other end of the country in Sud-Ubangi, that is like a distance from Geneva to Dublin.”
- Wide, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Julien Harneis, Special Ebola Coordinator (OCHA): “[In] many areas, the roads are massive potholes - not even potholes - trucks disappear into the mud; [in] many areas, the access, even by small plane, is complicated. And then there’s violence against the response."
- Wide, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Dr Olivier le Polain, Unit Head for Epidemiology and Analytics for Response (WHO): “In North Kivu, we see cases picking up. Over the last two weeks, the number of weekly cases has increased from about 100 cases a week a few weeks back, to 200 cases per week last week. So, that's a doubling of the cases just in a few weeks in those people. We're worried about particularly Butembo and Katwa - that sort of urban central axis in the northern part of North Kivu - as well as Beni.”
- Wide, Press Room, video journalist, TV screens showing speaker.
- SOUNDBITE (French) - Dr Olivier le Polain, Unit Head for Epidemiology and Analytics for Response (WHO): « La situation est plutôt mixte, la situation est plutôt hétérogène. Mais qu’on a certains, peut-être certains signes très, très initiaux d’une épidémie qui commence à fléchir dans certaines zones, mais qui augmente de manière exponentielle dans d’autres zones. »
- Wide, Press Room.
- Medium, journalist.
- Wide, video journalists.
- Wide, view of trees shot from below, Ituri, DR Congo; please credit WHO.
- Close, car driving on dirt road, filmed at car wheel level, Lita, Ituri, DR Congo including at a treatment centre; please credit WHO
- Wide, Ebola response convoy travelling along tree-lined dirt road; please credit WHO.
- Wide, Ebola treatment centre, drone overview; please credit WHO.
- Wide, Ebola treatment centre; drone overview; please credit WHO.
- Wide, Ebola treatment centre, drone overview; please credit WHO.
Similar Stories
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.