WHO declares Ebola emergency as outbreak with no vaccine spreads in DRC

The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.

The statement follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases on Saturday in at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.

The development comes as global health officials continue to monitor a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left several passengers and crew members sick and caused three deaths.

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A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, September 9, 2018. (Al-Hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)

As of May 13, the WHO said 11 cases of hantavirus had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.

In the neighboring Ugandan capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases – including one death – were reported on Friday and Saturday, involving people who had traveled from the DRC.

Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa, the DRC capital, involving a person returning from Ituri province.

Initial tests suggest the outbreak does not involve the Zaire Ebola strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018-2020 outbreak that killed more than 1,000 people.

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Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, July 13, 2019. (Jérôme Delay/AP)

However, unlike the Ebola-Zaire strains, there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO has described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”

The WHO has warned that the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the increasing number of suspected cases.

The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging countries to activate emergency management systems and implement cross-border testing measures.

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Ambulances parked at the Bunia General Reference Hospital following the confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 16, 2026. (Reuters/Victoire Mukenge)

Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease that is spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms may include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo had a “strong record” in responding to Ebola outbreaks, while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.

The WHO said it would convene an emergency committee to review recommendations on how affected countries should respond.

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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, July 16, 2019. (Jérôme Delay/AP)

The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.

Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.

Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller of Fox News Digital, as well as Reuters, contributed to this report.