The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern following the spread of the Bundibugyo virus strain in both countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision on Sunday after consultations with authorities in the affected nations.
The statement read, “The Director-General of WHO, after having consulted the States Parties where the event is known to be currently occurring, is hereby determining that the Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic gaRepublic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, but does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency.”
Health authorities said that by Saturday, eight laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases, 246 suspected infections and 80 suspected deaths had been recorded in Ituri Province in the DRC. The cases were spread across the g. , Rwampara and Mongbwalu health zones.
Uganda also confirmed two Ebola cases, including one fatality, in the capital city, Kampala, between Friday and Saturday. Officials said the infected persons were travellers who had arrived from the DRC. Another confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa involving a returnee from pIturi.
At least four healthcare workers were also reported dead in incidents believed to be linked to viral haemorrhagic fever.
According to the WHO statement, the deaths had raised “concerns regarding healthcare-associated transmission, gaps in infection prevention and control measures, and the potential for amplification within health facilities.”
Ghebreyesus warned that the outbreak could be much more widespread than current figures suggest due to the growing number of suspected cases and cross-border infections.
He said, “The high positivity rate of the initial samples collected, the confirmation of cases in both Kampala and Kinshasa, the increasing trends in syndromic reporting of suspected cases and clusters of deaths across the province of Ituri all point towards a potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant local and regional risk of spread.”
The WHO chief also pointed to insecurity, humanitarian challenges, heavy population movement and the existence of numerous informal health facilities as factors increasing the danger of wider transmission. He compared the situation to conditions that fuelled the deadly 2018-19 Ebola outbreak in the same region.
He further stressed that the situation was more concerning because “unlike for Ebola-zaire strains, there are currently no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines,” making containment efforts more difficult.
WHO warned that neighbouring countries bordering the DRC face a high risk of infection spread because of trade activities, travel and movement of people across borders.
The organisation advised both the DRC and Uganda to activate emergency response systems, intensify surveillance and contact tracing, and establish specialised treatment centres close to affected areas.
It also called for exit screening at airports, seaports and major land borders, while insisting that confirmed Ebola patients should not travel until they test negative twice within a minimum interval of 48 hours.
On travel restrictions, the organisation maintained a firm stance against border closures.
It read, “No country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel and trade. Such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science. They push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease.”
WHO also urged affected countries to begin clinical trials for possible vaccines and treatments while recommending that mass gatherings be postponed “until BVD transmission is interrupted.”
Ghebreyesus added that an Emergency Committee would soon be convened to further review and refine temporary recommendations issued following the declaration.