WHO declares global emergency as DRC Ebola outbreak exceeds visible case counts

The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern in response to a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with confirmed cases also emerging in neighbouring Uganda. The declaration underscores the gravity of the situation as medical personnel rush to the frontlines to contain the virus.

Professor Muhammad Munir, a virologist at Lancaster University, told FRANCE 24 that the actual scale of the outbreak is significantly larger than the visible case counts currently suggest. He stated that the discrepancy between the reported data and the reality on the ground was a key factor in the World Health Organization’s decision to escalate the alert level.

"The scale of the outbreak is way bigger than what we're having now and that is the reason the WHO decided on a public health emergency of international concern," Munir said during an interview with FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney on Monday.

Medical teams are currently deploying to the affected regions in eastern DRC to manage the crisis. The virus, a viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to central and western Africa, has previously caused outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the current spread into Uganda marks a significant geographical expansion.

The World Health Organization typically reserves the designation of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern for events that pose a risk to other states through international spread and require a coordinated global response. The declaration signals that the current situation demands an urgent and unified international effort to mitigate further transmission.