WHO Declares Global Emergency Over New Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern." This label is used for serious health events that pose a risk to other countries through the international spread of disease. According to the WHO, while this situation is a major emergency, it does not yet meet the specific criteria to be called a pandemic.

This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. Unlike some other types of Ebola, there are currently no approved vaccines or specific medicines to treat this strain. Health officials are particularly worried because the virus has a very high lethality rate, which can reach 50 percent, according to DRC Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba, as reported by the AFP news agency. Early symptoms of the disease include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, and headaches. As the virus progresses, it can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, and severe internal bleeding.

As of mid-May 2026, reports indicate that the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. The WHO noted that there are eight laboratory-confirmed cases, along with hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths in the Ituri province of the DRC. The virus has also been found in the capital city, Kinshasa, and in the eastern city of Goma. Furthermore, the disease has crossed into neighboring Uganda, where two confirmed cases were reported in the capital, Kampala. One of those patients has already died.

Experts are concerned that the true scale of the outbreak may be much larger than what is currently being reported. The WHO highlighted that there are significant uncertainties regarding the actual number of infected people and how far the virus has traveled. The agency pointed to the high number of positive results from initial samples and the unusual clusters of deaths in local communities as signs that the virus is spreading faster than expected. The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the rapid spread as "extremely concerning" and stated they are preparing a large-scale response to help manage the crisis.

Several factors are making the situation worse. The WHO explained that the ongoing security problems and humanitarian crisis in the region, combined with high population movement, make it hard to track the virus. Additionally, the presence of many informal healthcare facilities in the affected areas increases the risk of the disease spreading within clinics. There are also reports of deaths among healthcare workers, which raises serious concerns about how well hospitals are protected against the virus.

In response to the emergency, the WHO has advised the DRC and Uganda to set up special centers to monitor the situation and improve infection-prevention measures. Countries that share borders with the DRC are considered to be at high risk. As a result, nations like Rwanda have already started tightening screening at their borders as a safety measure. However, the WHO has strongly urged countries not to close their borders or restrict trade and travel. The agency warned that such actions are usually based on fear rather than science, and they could actually make the situation worse by forcing people to cross borders through unofficial, unmonitored paths.

This is the 17th time an Ebola outbreak has hit the DRC. Over the past 50 years, the disease has killed approximately 15,000 people across Africa. Because the virus spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit, controlling it requires strict isolation of patients and careful contact tracing. As international health teams arrive to assist, the focus remains on finding every person who may have been exposed to the virus to prevent further transmission. For now, the global health community is watching the region closely, hoping that quick action can stop the Bundibugyo virus before it reaches more people.