WHO flags Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda as global emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”, warning that the disease poses a high risk of spreading to neighbouring countries.The WHO said the outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. However, countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo face elevated risks due to increasing cross-border transmission.

Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posts, "After having consulted the DRC and Uganda where the Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus is known to be currently occurring, I determine that the epidemic constitutes a public health emergency of international… pic.twitter.com/cP6VNBanRe

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 17, 2026

According to the U.N. health agency, at least 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected infections had been reported as of Saturday in Ituri province in eastern Congo. The outbreak has affected multiple health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.The DRC health ministry had earlier said 80 people had died in the outbreak in the eastern province.
WHO officials raised concern that the actual scale of the outbreak could be significantly larger because of the high positivity rate in initial samples and the rising number of suspected cases being reported.The agency described the outbreak as “extraordinary” because there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics specifically designed for the Bundibugyo strain, unlike the more common Ebola-Zaire strain responsible for most previous outbreaks in Congo.The latest outbreak marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976, according to information.
The WHO also confirmed international spread linked to the outbreak. In Kampala, two laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, were reported from individuals who had travelled from the DRC. Another confirmed case was detected in Kinshasa involving a traveller returning from Ituri province.The agency urged countries to activate emergency-response mechanisms, strengthen cross-border screening and enhance surveillance along major transport routes.WHO advised that confirmed Ebola patients and close contacts should avoid international travel unless medically evacuated. It also recommended immediate isolation of confirmed cases and daily monitoring of contacts, with restrictions on domestic and international travel for exposed individuals until 21 days after exposure.
At the same time, the organisation cautioned countries against closing borders or restricting trade and travel, warning that such measures could encourage unmonitored informal crossings that may further complicate containment efforts.The Ebola virus, which is naturally found in the dense tropical forests of the DRC, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people, contaminated materials or individuals who have died from the disease.According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease can cause severe fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and body aches and is often fatal if not contained quickly.