World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda an international public health emergency on Sunday.
The decision comes after 88 people have died from Ebola and more than 300 suspected cases have been reported.
The WHO stated in a post on the social media platform X that the Bundibugyo virus outbreak does not qualify as a global pandemic like COVID-19. However, the organization advised countries not to close international borders.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be spread through an infected person’s saliva, vomit, blood, or semen. The disease is rare, but it is serious and often fatal. Health officials have confirmed that the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare form of Ebola, and there is currently no drug or vaccine to treat it.
https://t.co/iL3AMadJKk
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 17, 2026
Congo and Uganda have experienced more than 20 waves of Ebola, but this is the third time the Bundibugyo virus has spread. According to the WHO, all but two cases are from Congo, two of which were reported in neighboring Uganda.
On Friday, officials reported the first outbreak of the disease in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which borders Uganda and South Sudan. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 87 deaths and 336 suspected cases on Saturday.
“At present, there is considerable uncertainty about how many people are actually infected and how far the infection has spread. Furthermore, there is limited information available about the epidemiological links between known and suspected cases,” Tedros said.
