WHO Declares International Health Emergency Over Ebola Spread

(MENAFN) The World Health Organization has classified the Ebola outbreak connected to the Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a global public health emergency, according to official announcements made on Sunday.

Despite the declaration, the agency did not categorize the situation as a “pandemic emergency.”

Reports citing WHO figures said health authorities have identified at least eight laboratory-confirmed infections, along with 246 suspected cases and around 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo. Uganda has also confirmed two imported cases in the capital, Kampala. Officials said both patients had recently arrived from DR Congo and were being treated in intensive care units.

Health experts noted that clusters of deaths and infections involving healthcare workers suggest there may already be broader community transmission, while also exposing serious “gaps” in infection prevention measures inside hospitals.

The WHO further warned that the outbreak could be spreading more extensively than current monitoring systems are able to detect.

Unlike the more widespread Zaire variant of Ebola, there are currently no approved vaccines or specialized treatments available for the Bundibugyo strain. “As such, this event is considered extraordinary,” officials said.

The Bundibugyo virus, first discovered in Uganda in 2007, is a rare Ebola strain believed to originate in fruit bats. Scientists say the virus can pass to humans through infected animals before spreading between people via bodily fluids.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that the outbreaks in DR Congo and Uganda represent a major regional risk and stressed the need for immediate cross-border cooperation to limit further spread. “Ebola does not respect borders,” he said, pointing to high levels of movement and instability across the region.

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