Ebola outbreak declared 'international health emergency' by WHO: Is it a pandemic? WION Decodes
World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo an international health emergency after over 80 deaths. The outbreak involves the deadly Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
WHO declares international health emergency over rare Ebola strain
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola outbreak an ‘international health emergency’ that has killed more than 80 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Authorities warned that there was no vaccine for the strain. The Geneva-based WHO said on May 17 that the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola constituted a “public health emergency of international concern.” The global health body stopped short of declaring a pandemic emergency, the highest alert level introduced in 2024.
What is Bundibugyo strain?
The Bundibugyo strain was first identified in 2007. Vaccines are only available for the Zaire strain, which was identified in 1976 and has a higher fatality rate of 60-90 percent. Health officials had confirmed the latest outbreak in Ituri province in northeastern DRC, bordering Uganda and South Sudan, according to CDC Africa. "The Bundibugyo strain has no vaccine, no specific treatment," DR Congo's Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said. “This strain has a very high lethality rate, which can reach 50 percent.”
What we know about the cases?
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) said that a total of 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever have been reported. Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it was preparing a "large-scale response", calling the rapid spread of the outbreak "extremely concerning", in warnings echoed by authorities. It is the 17th Ebola outbreak to hit the DRC
Who was patient zero and what are the symptoms?
According to Kamba, patient zero was a nurse who reported to a health facility in Ituri's provincial capital Bunia on April 24, with symptoms suggesting Ebola. Symptoms of the disease include fever, haemorrhaging and vomiting.
What more WHO said
World Health Organization said there are “significant uncertainties” regarding the actual number of infected people and the geographic spread of the outbreak. However, the agency noted that the high positivity rate in initial samples, confirmed cases in two countries, and rising reports of suspected infections suggest the outbreak could be far larger than currently detected and may pose a significant local and regional risk of spread. According to WHO, outbreaks over the past half century have seen a mortality rate among those affected of between 25 percent and 90 percent.
What we know about previous Ebola outbreak and how is it spread
The previous outbreak of Ebola was in August 2025 in the central region and it killed at least 34 people, before being declared eradicated in December. Nearly 2,300 people died in the deadliest outbreak in the DRC between 2018 and 2020. Ebola, believed to have originated in bats, can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. The virus spreads from person to person through bodily fluids or exposure to the blood of an infected persons, who become contagious only once they display symptoms. The incubation period can last up to 21 days.
Is it a pandemic?
No, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has not been declared a pandemic. World Health Organization has classified it as a “public health emergency of international concern,” which is the second-highest global alert level. While the outbreak has spread across borders and raised fears of wider regional transmission, the WHO stopped short of declaring a pandemic emergency. Authorities remain concerned because the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment
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