The outbreak, first detected in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, has now resulted in at least 88 deaths and more than 300 suspected cases, according to health authorities. Officials said the virus has also reached Uganda, where at least two laboratory-confirmed cases were linked to travelers from Congo, including one death in the capital, Kampala.
Read more: A New Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo Kills 65 and Sickens Hundreds
The virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, including blood, vomit, and other contaminated materials, and becomes contagious once symptoms appear. Those symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and internal or external bleeding.
Initial laboratory samples tested negative because early field diagnostics were only capable of detecting the Zaire strain of Ebola, delaying confirmation of the Bundibugyo variant now driving the outbreak, according to the WHO.
Officials also confirmed suspected and laboratory-linked cases in North Kivu province and in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, located roughly 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter, raising concerns about broader geographic spread. Ugandan officials said cross-border movement between Congo and Uganda has further accelerated transmission, with at least one confirmed fatal case in Kampala tied to travel from Congo.
The WHO’s declaration marks its second-highest alert level and is intended to mobilize international coordination, funding, and response capacity. The agency urged countries to strengthen surveillance, isolate confirmed cases, and monitor contacts for up to 21 days, while discouraging border closures that could drive cases underground.
Read more: The U.S. Helped Defeat Ebola in 2014. Now, We’re Watching a Crisis Become a Catastrophe
The outbreak comes amid a strained global response system, after the U.S. Agency for International Development, which previously played a central role in containing Ebola outbreaks, was shuttered, and the United States withdrew from the WHO in January this year.
Authorities said violence in Ituri, including attacks by armed groups such as the Allied Democratic Forces and M23, has limited access for health workers and disrupted contact tracing efforts.
Previous outbreaks killed thousands
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced at least 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in 1976, making it one of the countries most frequently affected.
WHO officials said the outbreak’s reach into urban centers, including Kinshasa and Kampala, raises concern because infectious diseases spread more rapidly in densely populated areas.
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