By Daily Review Online
The World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency following the rapid spread of a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the second-highest global alert level, warning that the true scale of the outbreak could be far worse than officially reported.
According to Congolese authorities, 246 suspected Ebola cases and 80 deaths have been recorded across three health zones, while eight infections have been laboratory confirmed.
The virus has already crossed into Uganda, where a 59-year-old man died after testing positive for the disease. In response, Ugandan authorities cancelled the annual Martyrs’ Day pilgrimage, a major religious gathering that attracts thousands of people each year.
Health officials said the outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists. The strain, first identified in 2007, has an estimated fatality rate of between 25 and 40 percent.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat and headaches, which can later progress to vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and severe internal or external bleeding. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons or corpses.
Médecins Sans Frontières warned that weak healthcare access and instability in affected areas could worsen the crisis.
“The number of cases and deaths in such a short time, combined with spread across multiple health zones and beyond borders, is deeply alarming,” said emergency response chief Trish Newport.
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The country’s deadliest outbreak, between 2018 and 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people.
WHO has urged both Congo and Uganda to establish emergency operations centres to help monitor and contain the spread of the virus.