The World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency following a fresh outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 80 people have died from the virus.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola for which no approved vaccine currently exists, has raised fears of wider regional spread after health authorities confirmed a case in Goma, a major eastern city under the control of the M23 armed group.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases have been recorded so far, while one related death has also been reported in neighbouring Uganda.
Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced the emergency declaration on Sunday, describing the situation as a public health emergency of international concern.
He noted, however, that the outbreak has not yet met the threshold for a pandemic under existing international health regulations.
The WHO said significant uncertainties remain over the actual number of infections and the full geographic spread of the disease, especially as many affected communities are located in hard-to-reach areas where testing remains limited.
The first confirmed case in Goma involved the wife of a man who died from Ebola in Bunia. Health authorities said she travelled to Goma after her husband’s death while already infected.
The Congolese government said the outbreak began with a nurse who reported to a health facility in Bunia on April 24 with symptoms consistent with Ebola. The patient is believed to be the index case in the latest outbreak.
Samuel-Roger Kamba, the country’s health minister, said the Bundibugyo strain presents a major challenge because there is no specific vaccine or treatment available.
He added that the strain carries a fatality rate that can reach 50 per cent.
Medical humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders said it was preparing a large-scale emergency response, warning that the speed of transmission was deeply concerning.
The WHO warned that the current outbreak could be significantly larger than reported, citing the high positivity rate from initial samples, cross-border infections and increasing reports of suspected cases in multiple health zones.
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo. The previous outbreak, which occurred last year, claimed at least 34 lives before it was declared over in December.
Ebola, believed to originate from bats, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals and can cause severe fever, internal bleeding and organ failure. The virus has killed around 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.
