WHO declares Ebola outbreak a global health emergency after 80 deaths

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak sweeping across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest level of global health alert under international law.

The announcement follows a sharp surge in cases linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, with health officials cautioning that cross-border transmission, displacement of populations and continuing conflict in eastern Congo are heightening the risk of further spread.

At least 246 suspected cases and more than 80 deaths have been recorded in Congo's Ituri province, according to African health authorities.

The outbreak is centred on the mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara, though suspected infections have also emerged in the provincial capital Bunia.

Uganda has confirmed a fatal imported case involving a Congolese patient who travelled to Kampala seeking treatment before succumbing to the disease. Authorities say there is as yet no evidence of widespread local transmission within Uganda, though emergency surveillance and screening measures have been significantly bolstered.

The WHO stated that the outbreak meets the threshold for a coordinated international response owing to the potential for regional spread and the considerable operational challenges confronting health workers on the ground. Nevertheless, officials stopped short of classifying the outbreak as a pandemic emergency.

The Bundibugyo strain is regarded as especially worrying because there are presently no authorised vaccines specifically designed to combat it. The majority of existing Ebola vaccines were created for the more prevalent Zaire strain, which has triggered earlier fatal outbreaks across central and west Africa.

Health authorities have also expressed alarm over the security circumstances in eastern Congo, where armed militias, mass displacement and inadequate sanitation are hampering attempts to track contacts and contain infections.

This represents the Democratic Republic of the Congo's 17th documented Ebola outbreak since the virus was initially discovered in the nation in 1976. The previous outbreak formally concluded in December 2025.

The WHO, Africa CDC and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now coordinating assistance initiatives, including surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing and emergency response deployments.