WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda
The rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, and WHO said cross-border spread and 88 deaths show a wider regional risk.
- On Sunday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern," posing risks to neighboring countries.
- Officials first identified the Bundibugyo strain in the DRC's Ituri province near Uganda and South Sudan on Friday. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths by Saturday.
- Health officials described the outbreak as "extraordinary" because there are no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines. This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since 1976.
- Two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday and Saturday, involving patients who traveled from the DRC. The cases had no apparent links to each other, the WHO said.
- The WHO advised against closing international borders, recommending immediate isolation of confirmed cases and no international travel until 21 days after exposure. Countries should also implement cross-border screening and national disaster management mechanisms.
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MAGA conspiracy theories fly as global health emergency declared over Ebola
The World Health Organization's declaration Sunday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern triggered a wave of panicked — and in some cases conspiratorial — reactions across the political spectrum.Right-wing inf...
W.H.O. Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency
Just a day after the announcement, cases were confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. There is no approved vaccine for this species of Ebola. Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/world/africa/ebola-congo-uganda-who-public-health-emergency.html Author : Yan Zhuang, Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Apoorva Mandavilli Publish date : 2026-05-17 16:01:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
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