The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this Saturday (17) a public health emergency of international concern due to the new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus, affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The decision was made after consulting the affected countries and includes an announcement of a “public health emergency of international concern,” although the statement emphasizes that the outbreak does not yet meet the criteria defined in the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR).
As of Friday, eight cases were laboratory-confirmed, 246 are considered suspected, and 80 deaths were recorded in Ituri province, northeastern DRC. In Kampala, the capital of Uganda, two cases were confirmed within 24 hours, including one death, with no apparent link between them. Two of the Ugandan cases are individuals who traveled from the DRC, raising the alert for possible international spread.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressed concern about the intense population mobility in the region and called an urgent high-level coordination meeting with regional and international entities, including the WHO and the CDC of the United States, China, and Europe.
In the declaration, the WHO states that it “requires international coordination and cooperation to understand the extent of the outbreak, coordinate surveillance, prevention, and response measures, expand and strengthen operations, and ensure capacity to implement control measures.” The entity also recommended that affected countries activate their national disaster management mechanisms, establish emergency operations centers, and engage local, religious, and traditional leaders, as well as healers, to assist in case identification, contact tracing, and risk education.
The last outbreak in the DRC occurred in late 2025 in Kasai province, central DRC, and was the sixteenth since the virus was discovered in 1976. Ebola has a mortality rate between 60% and 80%, is transmitted through bodily fluids, and causes high fever, severe weakness, and severe hemorrhaging.