The World Health Organisation on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a global public health emergency, warning of a growing risk of cross-border spread.
The UN agency stressed, however, that the outbreak had not been classified as a pandemic.
As of Saturday, authorities had reported eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri province in eastern DR Congo. Two confirmed cases, including one death, were also detected in Kampala after travel from DR Congo, while another confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa.
The WHO said “the event is extraordinary”, citing the combination of rapid geographic spread, uncertainty over the true number of infections and the risk of amplification in fragile health systems.
Director general of the WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, in a post on X: “After having consulted the DRC and Uganda where the Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus is known to be currently occurring, I determine that the epidemic constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), as defined in the provisions of IHR.”
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant first identified in western Uganda in 2007. Symptoms are similar to other Ebola infections and include fever, vomiting, bleeding and organ failure.
WHO said there are currently no approved vaccines or specific antiviral treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease, increasing concern over containment challenges compared with other Ebola strains where experimental or licensed countermeasures exist.
The agency said clusters of unexplained community deaths and suspected cases across multiple health zones in Ituri suggest wider transmission than currently confirmed. It also warned that at least four deaths among healthcare workers point to possible gaps in infection prevention and control inside health facilities.
The WHO warned that “the high positivity rate of initial samples … and clusters of deaths across Ituri all point towards a potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported”.
“There are significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread associated with this event at the present time,” the WHO said, adding that epidemiological links between cases remain poorly understood.
It added that insecurity, a humanitarian crisis, high population mobility and informal healthcare networks in eastern DR Congo are all increasing the risk of wider spread, recalling conditions seen during the 2018–19 Ebola epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri.
Cross-border spread has already been confirmed, with cases detected in Kampala among individuals who travelled from DR Congo. WHO said neighbouring countries face heightened risk due to porous borders and strong trade and travel links.
Despite the alert, the WHO urged countries not to impose travel or trade restrictions, saying such measures “have no basis in science” and could undermine response efforts by pushing movement into unmonitored routes.
The agency said it would convene an emergency committee “as soon as possible” to advise on temporary recommendations under the international health regulations.
The WHO also called for rapid strengthening of surveillance, laboratory capacity, contact tracing and infection control in affected and neighbouring countries, alongside sustained community engagement to improve early detection and reporting.
While the declaration signals a serious escalation in international coordination, the WHO stressed that it does not amount to a pandemic designation.
