The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus, currently affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest alert level the global health body can issue under international law.
What the Declaration Means
Acting under paragraph 2 of Article 12 of the International Health Regulations (2005), WHO's Director-General determined that the outbreak qualifies as a PHEIC but does not rise to the level of a pandemic emergency as defined under the IHR. The designation triggers a formal international response mechanism and obliges member states to step up preparedness and reporting.Outbreak Scale and Spread
As of May 16, 2026, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths had been reported in Ituri Province of the DRC, spanning at least three health zones: Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu. Unusual clusters of community deaths with symptoms compatible with Bundibugyo virus disease have been recorded across multiple health zones in Ituri, with suspected cases also reported in North Kivu.The outbreak has already crossed borders. Two laboratory-confirmed cases, with no apparent epidemiological link to each other, were reported in Kampala, Uganda, within 24 hours on May 15 and 16, both among individuals who had travelled from the DRC. Both patients were admitted to intensive care units in Kampala.
A case initially reported as confirmed in Kinshasa, an individual who had returned from Ituri, subsequently tested negative for the Bundibugyo virus on confirmatory testing by INRB, and is therefore not considered a confirmed case.
Why WHO Considers the Outbreak Extraordinary
WHO identified several factors that make this outbreak particularly concerning. Eight of 13 initial samples collected across various areas tested positive, representing a high positivity rate. Rising syndromic case reports, an increasing number of deaths across Ituri Province, and limited understanding of epidemiological links between known cases all suggest the true scale of the outbreak may be significantly larger than reported figures indicate.At least four healthcare worker deaths in settings clinically consistent with viral haemorrhagic fever have been documented, raising concerns about healthcare-associated transmission and gaps in infection prevention and control within health facilities.
Compounding the risk, ongoing insecurity, a protracted humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, the semi-urban nature of the outbreak's epicentre, and a large network of informal healthcare facilities all increase the potential for further spread, conditions similar to those that drove the large Ebola epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri in 2018–19. Critically, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines currently exist.
WHO Guidance and Recommended Measures
WHO's guidance to the DRC and Uganda includes activating national emergency operation centres under head-of-state authority, strengthening surveillance and contact tracing, establishing specialised treatment units near outbreak epicentres, implementing cross-border and exit screening at airports and land crossings, and launching clinical trials for candidate therapeutics and vaccines.Confirmed cases must be immediately isolated with no travel permitted until two diagnostic tests conducted at least 48 hours apart return negative results. Contacts are to be monitored daily, with no international travel for 21 days after exposure.
For neighbouring countries, WHO urged urgent preparedness measures including enhanced community surveillance, access to qualified diagnostic laboratories, and the activation of rapid response teams.
For all other countries, WHO explicitly advised against border closures or travel and trade restrictions, stating that such measures have no scientific basis, push population movement to unmonitored crossings, and can undermine both local economies and response logistics.
WHO stated it would convene an Emergency Committee as soon as possible to refine temporary recommendations for all member states.
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