The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo‘s eastern Ituri province a public health emergency of international concern.
Health officials said the outbreak has resulted in about 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths. However, the WHO noted that the situation does not meet the threshold for a pandemic emergency.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there are currently “significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread” of the outbreak.
Ebola Cases Confirmed In Ituri Province And Uganda
According to the WHO, the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
The agency said eight cases have been confirmed in laboratories, while additional suspected infections and deaths have been reported in three health zones, including Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, as well as the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
The virus has also crossed into neighbouring Uganda, where two confirmed cases have been recorded.
Ugandan authorities said a 59-year-old man who died on Thursday had tested positive for the virus.
WHO Issues Ebola Response Measures For DR Congo And Neighbouring Countries
The WHO warned that countries bordering DR Congo face a high risk of further transmission because of cross-border movement, trade and travel.
To strengthen the response, the organisation recommended that DR Congo and Uganda establish emergency operations centres to oversee monitoring, contact tracing and infection prevention efforts.
The WHO said confirmed patients should be isolated immediately and treated until two Bundibugyo virus-specific tests, taken at least 48 hours apart, return negative results.
Countries sharing borders with affected areas were also advised to intensify disease surveillance and improve health reporting systems.
The agency stressed that nations outside the region should not shut borders or impose restrictions on travel and trade, saying such measures are “usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science”.
Ebola History In DR Congo And Symptoms To Watch For
Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now DR Congo and is believed to have originated in bats. This latest outbreak is the country’s 17th.
The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and through broken skin, and can lead to severe bleeding and organ failure.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat. These are often followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and bleeding.
There is no proven cure for Ebola, and the WHO says the disease has an average fatality rate of around 50%.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) previously expressed concern over the heightened risk of spread due to urban transmission in Rwampara and Bunia, as well as mining activity in Mongwalu.
[DR Congo Militia Attack Leaves At Least 69 Dead In Ituri Province]
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said that “significant population movement” between the affected areas and neighbouring countries makes regional co-ordination essential.
Over the past five decades, Ebola has claimed around 15,000 lives across African countries.
DR Congo’s deadliest outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died.
In 2025, 45 people died during an outbreak in a remote part of the country.
