The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday said the Public Health Emergency of International Concern declared over the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda was in line with the International Health Regulations (IHR).
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said this at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, saying the declaration was issued under Article 12 of the International Health Regulations due to growing concerns over the epidemic.
“On 18 May, I declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern for an Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda,” he said.
“This is the first time a DG declared a PHEIC before convening an Emergency Committee.”
He added that the committee would meet on Tuesday to consider temporary recommendations regarding the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak.
“It is done under Article 12 of the IHR after consulting both health ministers, due to concern over the scale and speed of the epidemic,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.
According to him, health authorities confirmed 30 Ebola cases in Ituri province, DRC, while Uganda recorded two confirmed infections in Kampala, including one death linked to travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He said one American national tested positive for Ebola and was transferred to Germany for treatment, while authorities continued tracing contacts connected to confirmed infections recorded in affected communities across the neighbouring countries.
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that more than 500 suspected Ebola cases and 130 suspected deaths had been reported, warning that figures could change as surveillance operations, laboratory testing and contact tracing activities intensified across affected areas.
“Numbers will change as surveillance, contact tracing and lab testing scale up,” he said.
He emphasised that improved monitoring systems would likely increase the number of confirmed infections and suspected fatalities reported by health authorities in the coming weeks.
According to him, confirmed cases recorded in urban centres, including Kampala and Goma, alongside deaths involving health workers, suggested healthcare-associated transmission, raising fears about wider community spread and increasing pressure on medical facilities.
“Ituri is highly insecure. Conflict intensified since late 2025, escalating in the last two months with civilian deaths,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.
He warned that worsening insecurity and displacement were contributing significantly to Ebola transmission risks there.
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According to the WHO DG, the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics available despite ongoing international public health interventions.
He said countries could still contain Ebola transmission through stronger risk communication campaigns, community engagement programmes, surveillance systems, patient isolation and effective contact tracing measures coordinated by national authorities and international health partners.
“Uganda postponed Martyrs’ Day celebrations for up to two million people due to risk,” Mr Ghebreyesus said, noting that authorities acted to prevent mass gatherings capable of accelerating Ebola transmission among vulnerable populations.
The WHO chief said emergency teams were already deployed with personnel, medical supplies, equipment, and funding support, and he approved an additional $3.4 million, bringing the total emergency allocations to $3.9 million. (NAN)