The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern after hundreds of cases were reported last week.
In a post on X, the WHO said more than 80 deaths and close to 300 suspected cases have been reported, with eight laboratory‑confirmed infections across DRC’s Bunia, Mongwalu and Rwampara, and additional cases now identified in Kinshasa and the rebel‑held city of Goma, as well as across the border in Uganda.
It said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the Covid-19 pandemic and advised against the closure of international borders.
The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, raising alarm in a country that has endured 17 previous Ebola outbreaks and where fragile health systems, insecurity and high population mobility have historically fuelled rapid spread.
Ebola has repeatedly devastated communities in DRC, Uganda and West Africa where past epidemics caused thousands of deaths.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the true scale of the outbreak remains uncertain and urged neighbouring countries to intensify surveillance while avoiding border closures, which he said “have no basis in science.”
Health authorities in DRC and Uganda have been advised to activate emergency operations, isolate confirmed cases and strengthen infection‑prevention measures to contain the virus.
JN/APA