WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths were reported.

WHO, in a social media post, clarified the outbreak does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency like COVID-19, and advised against closing international borders. Health authorities said the outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.

Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe and often fatal illness. Most of the cases have been reported in Congo, with two cases confirmed in neighboring Uganda. Officials first detected the outbreak in Congo’s eastern Ituri province near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan.