WHO designates DR Congo, Uganda Ebola outbreak an emergency of international concern

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]We begin in the east part of Africa, where the World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. It noted that it does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, but it does pose a risk to neighboring countries. As of Saturday, the WHO had reported 80 suspected deaths, eight confirmed cases, and 246 suspected cases across not one, not two, but three areas Ituri province.

[00:00:31]Today, reports say a case has been confirmed in North Kivu's Goma area. In Uganda's capital, Kampala, two confirmed cases, including one death, were reported on Friday and Saturday in people traveling from the DRC.

[00:00:46]The latest outbreak, the DRC's 17th, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has no vaccine or specific treatment. Vaccines are only available for the Zaire strain.

[00:00:57]The agency has advised countries to activate their disaster and emergency management measures and undertake internal and cross-border screening.

[00:01:06]The fatal virus, which causes fever, body aches, vomiting, and diarrhea, spreads through direct contact with body fluids or infected persons, contaminated materials, or those who have died from the disease.

[00:01:21]Let's get more on this. Let's bring in Jafar Al Katanti, uh joining us live uh via Zoom from Goma in the eastern DRC.

[00:01:27]And of course, Michael Baleke live for us in Kampala. Gentlemen, both of you are very welcome to the program. Jafar, let's start with you. The WHO has now declared the Ebola outbreak, listen to this, a public health emergency of international concern. What are the DRC authorities saying about the latest situation there? And what is fueling the spread? What do we know?

[00:01:50]Yeah, one more time, the eastern DRC has the Ebola outbreak, you know. Uh this zone, the same zone of Ituri and north of North Kivu was also in another outbreak of Ebola like five or six years ago. And this time things were very very quick because in just few days we have many cases and the government of DRC since yesterday there was many people of the government was already to respond. As now in Bunia, the same place of the outbreak, the epicenter of the outbreak, there is a delegation coming from Kinshasa with the minister of the health to set up an Ebola treatment center because there was not an Ebola treatment center in the zone and now they are setting. So, material and equipment are coming and also doctors coming from Kinshasa to set up an Ebola treatment center. But the problem still why and how this outbreak spread quickly in the zone because for now different zones of Ituri but also North Kivu have cases and this is something new because last time that Ebola was in this zone it took more than month to leave the epicenter to other zones. All right, important point there Jafar.

[00:03:21]Let's bring Michael Baleke into this conversation while you stand by.

[00:03:25]Michael, thank you for joining us as well. Michael, what's the very latest from Uganda on this outbreak? What do you know?

[00:03:37]Hello Richard. Uganda is on heightened alert following the confirmation of cross-border Ebola cases linked to the eastern DRC Congo. Health authorities here have intensified surveillance especially in the districts bordering the DRC Congo and major transit points in including airports and busy land crossings. Richard, screening and contact tracing and isolation measures have been stepped up here in Uganda and health workers are also being reminded to maintain a high index of suspicion for the Ebola symptoms.

[00:04:12]What is helping Uganda, Richard, is that at this point is really experienced. The country has handled multiple Ebola outbreaks before and including the Sudan and now the Bundibugyo strains. So, emergency response systems are relatively well relatively well established here and officials are urging vigilance rather than panic, but there is concern because of the high volume of daily movement between the eastern DRC Congo and Uganda for trade, health care, and family ties.

[00:04:43]Richard. All right, Jafar, it's right back to you. Jafar, you've heard what Michael has had to say about the experience. Tell us what the DRC is doing and what it actually needs from the international community to contain the outbreak.

[00:05:00]At the moment, nothing have been done yet because things are a bit slow. You know, Congo is bigger and we still depends by the capital city which is Kinshasa and from the Ebola zone from Ituri to Kinshasa is far, but we expect that with the team coming from Kinshasa, things will start now. But in the city of Bunia, we are seeing local authorities doing awareness message to people to know that the outbreak, the disease is real and people must now start washing their hand and keep distances so that they can fight the spreading of the outbreak. But for now we can say nothing has yet started because even some cases who have been reported, they are being taken care in normal hospital and not in Ebola treatment centers. All right, let's circle back to Michael. Michael, you touched on uh experience. You mentioned experience.

[00:06:09]Michael, Uganda and the DRC have battled Ebola many times before. Talk to us about the kind of cross-border mitigation measures we can expect going forward.

[00:06:22]Uh Richard, we can expect a very coordinated border response because Uganda and the DRC have a history of dealing with Ebola spillovers. The first thing is intensified screening at official border points, temperature checks, symptoms monitoring, and rapid referral rapid referrals uh systems for suspected cases. And uh but most importantly, authorities also focus on community surveillance because many uh crossings are informal. Um health teams often work with local leaders, uh village health workers, and even transport operators to identify symptomatic travelers early enough. Uh we are also likely to see stronger information sharing between Kampala and Kinshasa.

[00:07:05]Uh we also likely to see prepositioning of of treatment capacity uh near the border districts. And uh of course emergency prepared drills um already happening in these high-risk areas on the Ugandan side. Uh one key lesson from the past outbreaks, uh Richard, uh is that uh um borders are not, you you know, sealed.

[00:07:26]Instead, uh authorities try to keep up uh the movement and keep up and keep the movement safe uh while catching uh cases quickly before transmission uh spreads.

[00:07:37]The challenge this time, Richard, is that uh though um is the Eastern Congo Eastern Congo the security in Eastern Congo complicates the response efforts in this case.

[00:07:47]That's what Ugandan authorities have said, making contact tracing and access to affected areas and communities much harder. Back to you, Richard. All right, let's leave it there for now.

[00:07:58]Michael Blakey, live for us from Kampala, and of course, Jafar Alkhatib joining us live via Zoom. Gentlemen, both of you, thanks for that.

[00:08:07]The new outbreak is unfolding against the backdrop of a deepening security crisis in Ituri province, where clashes between rival militia groups have killed scores of civilians in recent weeks, the Africa CDC says. Initial findings suggested the presence of a non-Zaire strain of the virus known as the Bundibugyo.

[00:08:26]The strain The Zaire strain is a historically the most common and widely documented. Bundibugyo was first identified in a western Ugandan district of the same name in 2007. Patients presented with symptoms including fever, generalized body pain, weakness, vomiting, and in some cases bleeding.

[00:08:46]According to the WHO, it causes death in approximately 30% of infected individuals, making it less lethal than the Zaire strain, which has mortality rates of up to 90% in some outbreaks.

[00:08:58]All but one of Congo's 16 previous outbreaks have been caused by the Zaire strain. Officials say the identification of a different variant may complicate the response as existing treatments and vaccines were developed against the Zaire strain.

[00:09:14]Burundi has activated a preventive measures to block the spread of the Ebola virus following the reported outbreak in the neighboring DRC. Health authorities have urged the population to remain vigilant, wash hands regularly, and avoid touching corpses whose cause of death are unknown. They have also advised against unnecessary travel to affected border areas and the reporting of any suspected cases. The health minister says the country is at high risk and the situation is worrying as the affected areas in the DRC are less than 400 kilometers from Burundi with regular flows of movement between the two countries. Burundi has now strengthened surveillance at points of entry including setting up temporary screening structures and training health workers.