WHO declares Ebola emergency in Congo and Uganda as risk assessment shifts
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns of rising death toll amid challenges of conflict and lack of approved vaccines.
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing high national and regional risks despite a low global threat level. Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, is likely to have started "a couple of months ago".
The WHO reported 600 suspected cases of Ebola and 139 suspected deaths across the DRC and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise. There are 51 confirmed cases in the DRC, primarily in the eastern Ituri province (including Bunia, Mongwalu, Rwampara, and Nyakunde) and North Kivu province (including Goma and Butembo). Two confirmed cases have been identified in Kampala, Uganda; both patients had travelled from the DRC.
This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The Bundibugyo species of Ebola has not been seen in an outbreak for more than a decade. Previous outbreaks of the Bundibugyo species resulted in a case fatality rate of approximately one-third. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific drugs targeting the Bundibugyo species, although experimental vaccines are in development.
A vaccine for the Zaire species of Ebola, which has been used in previous DRC outbreaks, may offer some cross-protection. Eastern DRC is experiencing ongoing conflict, which complicates public health responses and virus containment efforts. The first known case was a nurse who developed symptoms and died on 24 April in Bunia, Ituri province.
The body of the first case was repatriated to Mongwalu, a gold-mining town where the majority of cases have been reported. The WHO assessed the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, but low at the global level, confirming it is not at pandemic level.
