WHO declares Ebola emergency as outbreak with no vaccine spreads in DRC
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The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspicious deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The World Health Organization said the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases in at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu, as of Saturday.
The development comes as global health officials continue to monitor a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, which sickened scores of passengers and crew and killed three people.
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A healthcare worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on September 9, 2018. (El-Haji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, WHO said 11 cases of hantavirus had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
The World Health Organization said two laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola, including one death, were reported in Kampala, the capital of neighboring Uganda, on Friday and Saturday, involving people traveling from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, involving a returnee from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested that the outbreak did not involve the Ebola Zaire strain that caused the devastating 2018-2020 outbreak in Congo, which killed more than 1,000 people.
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Healthcare workers wearing protective gear care for an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike the Ebola-Zaire strains, there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, whose outbreak the World Health Organization has described as “extraordinary”.
WHO has warned that the outbreak may be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the increasing number of suspected cases.
The World Health Organization stated that the epidemic poses a public health risk for other countries and called on countries to activate emergency management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
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Ambulances are parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following the confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease that spreads through body fluids, including blood, vomit, and semen. Symptoms may include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently announced the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts, while saying Congo has a “strong track record” of responding to Ebola outbreaks.
WHO said it would convene an emergency committee to review recommendations on how affected countries should respond.
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Healthcare workers wearing protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller of Fox News Digital and Reuters contributed to this report.
