A public health emergency of international concern has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), after at least 80 suspected deaths and 246 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda have been recorded since April 24.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, is raising alarm among citizens in countries bordering the DRC, where the risk of further spread remains high.
Despite concerns “there are significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread associated with this event at the present time”, WHO officials said the current outbreak does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency.
Nevertheless, the organisation has described the latest outbreak —the DRC’s 17th outbreak since its discovery in 1976, as “extraordinary”, since there are currently no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement, warning of the growing threat and prompting urgent continental coordination efforts to contain the virus and strengthen preparedness across at-risk neighbouring countries.
“The affected area is characterised by high population mobility, insecurity, and intense cross-border connectivity with neighbouring countries, including Uganda,” the statement read. “This alert underscored the urgent need for coordinated continental action to prevent further spread and safeguard regional and continental health security.”
The DRC has faced repeated Ebola outbreaks, but this latest crisis is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which — unlike other species of Ebola virus, has no approved drugs designed to target its specific strain. Early treatment significantly improves survival chances, with care focused on managing pain, treating secondary infections, and maintaining fluids and nutrition through optimised supportive care.
Ebola is a rare, yet severe and deadly disease that spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals such as blood and vomit, contaminated materials or people who have died from the disease. Symptoms may including fever, body aches and fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and headache, which are believed to appear between two to twenty-one days after a person is infected. Some patients may experience organ failure and develop internal and external bleeding.
Ebola viruses are primarily carried by animals, especially fruit bats, but humans can become infected through close contact with infected animals.
According to the WHO, two previous outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain have occurred, once, in 2007 and a second time in 2012, which killed roughly 30 per cent of people who contract it.
On Sunday, the WHO declared that eight lab-confirmed cases have currently being recorded. The Director-General plans to convene an Emergency Committee to respond to the event.
While Ebola outbreaks are not uncommon in the DRC, which has a population of over 116 million, persistent insecurity in the country’s eastern region is complicating efforts to contain the latest outbreak.
“The ongoing insecurity, humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, the urban or semi-urban nature of the current hotspot and the large network of informal healthcare facilities further compound the risk of spread, as was witnessed during the large Ebola virus disease epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in 2018-19,” the WHO said.
The Director General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya said he will visiting the affected countries in the coming days to support national authorities, engage partners, and reinforce collective continental action.
“[We] remains fully committed to working with Member States and partners to protect lives, contain the outbreak, and strengthen Africa’s health security,” he said in a statement.
The first known case of the latest outbreak was documented on April 24, after a health worker in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri Province in the DRC, developed symptoms including fever, haemorrhaging, vomiting and “intense malaise”. The worker later died from the disease. Studies have suggested that women have often been disproportionately affected during outbreaks due to caregiving roles and greater exposure to sick family members and patients.
“Women have consistently recorded relatively high fatality rates in most catastrophic outbreaks,” one study suggested.
The DRC remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with over 70 per cent of the population living below the poverty threshold, according to the UN.