by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
GENEVA/KINSHASA/KAMPALA (Worthy News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Sunday that an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda “constitutes a public health emergency of international concern” after at least 80 people died and hundreds more were infected or suspected of infection.
However, the WHO stressed the outbreak does not yet meet the criteria of a global pandemic emergency despite fears of wider regional spread involving the deadly Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Medical specialists say Ebola causes severe fever, bleeding, vomiting, and organ failure and, depending on the strain, can kill between 25 and 90 percent of those infected, making it far deadlier than diseases such as COVID-19. The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials, according to experts.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked the governments of the DRC and Uganda for taking what he called “necessary and vigorous actions” to contain the outbreak and for warning the international community about the risks.
According to the WHO, eight laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases, 246 suspected infections, and 80 suspected deaths have been reported in the DRC’s Ituri Province across several health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.
Uganda meanwhile confirmed two laboratory-confirmed cases in the capital Kampala, including one death, involving travelers arriving from the DRC.
RAPIDLY SPREADING EBOLA
The DRC’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said authorities were first alerted to the outbreak through social media reports on May 5 before laboratory tests confirmed Ebola cases three days later.
“Today we are around 246 cases,” Kamba said. “And we have recorded, at community level but also at health center level, a total of 80 deaths.”
He added that the DRC had formally declared its “17th Ebola epidemic.”
Women could be heard weeping in footage from the Ebola-stricken area as grieving families mourned victims of the outbreak.
The WHO expressed alarm that at least four healthcare workers had died in circumstances suggesting Ebola transmission inside medical facilities, raising fears of major gaps in infection prevention measures.
HEALTHCARE SYSTEM STRAINED
Officials also warned the real scale of infections could be far higher than currently known due to insecurity, population movements, weak healthcare systems, and limited epidemiological data in eastern DRC.
Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks involving the Zaire strain, there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain, experts said.
The WHO said neighboring countries bordering the DRC face a high risk of further spread due to cross-border travel and trade.
Residents in Uganda voiced fears that the outbreak could trigger renewed travel restrictions or lockdowns similar to measures imposed during past health crises.
Naome Kayondo, a Kampala resident who frequently travels for work, said she worried the outbreak could disrupt livelihoods and daily life.
FEARS OF NEW LOCKDOWNS
“I would like the government to quickly spread awareness about Ebola and how it is spread,” she said, urging authorities to strengthen safety measures to prevent wider transmission.
The WHO said an emergency committee would meet soon to discuss additional international recommendations as governments intensify surveillance and containment efforts.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Israel marked 1,000 days since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre on Thursday with a day of mourning, protest, and national soul-searching, as bereaved families, survivors, former hostages, and demonstrators gathered across the country to remember the dead and demand accountability from the government.
President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to confront what officials describe as years of “weaponized” lawfare against American farmers, ranchers, and small businesses, with the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration set to announce a new agreement Thursday aimed at protecting rural America from regulatory abuse.
A period of national mourning was underway in Venezuela on Thursday as hope of finding survivors faded following last week’s devastating twin earthquakes, with the official death toll nearing 2,000 and tens of thousands of people still unaccounted for.
Researchers say they have taken a major step toward creating life from scratch after building tiny synthetic cell-like structures that can feed, grow, copy genetic material, and divide in a laboratory dish.
Numerous people have been killed and injured in a massive overnight Russian attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv that forced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cut short his visit to Ireland, officials said early Thursday.
The Council of Europe’s top constitutional advisory body arrives in Hungary on Thursday to assess a controversial constitutional amendment that would remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, amid growing domestic and international concern over the country’s democratic institutions.
The Catholic Church faced one of its most serious internal confrontations in decades Wednesday after the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrated four bishops without papal approval, despite an emotional last-minute appeal from Pope Leo XIV.