WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the current Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, citing over 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the outbreak does not meet pandemic criteria like COVID-19 and advised against border closures. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola variant with no approved vaccines or therapeutics. This is the third recorded outbreak of the virus, following previous cases in Uganda (2007–2008) and Congo (2012). The current spread began in Congo’s Ituri province, near Uganda and South Sudan, with 334 suspected cases (86 deaths) reported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Uganda confirmed two cases, both linked to travel from Congo, including one fatality in Kampala. The two cases had no apparent connection, raising concerns about cross-border transmission. Congo accounts for nearly all cases, with only two reported in Uganda. The Bundibugyo virus first emerged in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district in 2007–2008, infecting 149 people and killing 37. A second outbreak in Congo’s Isiro region in 2012 resulted in 57 cases and 29 deaths. Health authorities are monitoring the situation closely due to the lack of available treatments.