The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, citing the risk of cross-border spread. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain and has affected multiple health zones in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri, with suspected and confirmed cases also reported in Uganda and the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reported dozens of suspected deaths and hundreds of suspected cases. The World Health Organization warned that the outbreak could be significantly larger due to a high positivity rate among tested samples and a growing number of suspected infections. This marks the seventeenth Ebola outbreak in the country since the virus was first identified there in 1976.

The situation is considered extraordinary because there are no approved vaccines or targeted treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, unlike other strains of the virus. The agency has urged neighboring countries to strengthen surveillance, activate emergency response systems and conduct cross-border screening, while advising against border closures that could drive unmonitored travel.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals, contaminated materials or those who have died from the disease. Health officials are calling for immediate isolation of confirmed cases and close monitoring of contacts to contain further transmission.