The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa as a global public health emergency. This decision was made on Sunday following reports of numerous suspected deaths in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The WHO emphasized that although the outbreak is serious, it does not qualify as a pandemic emergency. The virus responsible for this outbreak is the Bundibugyo strain.
As of Saturday, officials reported 80 suspected deaths and eight confirmed cases, with 246 additional suspected cases spread across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These zones include Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.
This situation unfolds as health authorities worldwide continue to track a separate outbreak of the rare hantavirus. This outbreak is linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship and has resulted in illness among several passengers and crew members, with three fatalities.
In a related scene from September 9, 2018, a health worker applies disinfectant on a colleague at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo. (Photo by Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
Regarding the hantavirus outbreak tied to the cruise ship, the WHO reported that by May 13, 11 cases had been identified. These include eight confirmed cases, two probable cases, and one case that remains inconclusive.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
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