DID Press: World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a global public health emergency, citing a rapidly escalating outbreak and confirmed cross-border infections.
The decision came one day after Africa’s public health authority reported a new surge of suspected Ebola cases in Ituri province in northeastern Congo, where dozens of deaths have been linked to the virus.
According to available data, confirmed infections have also been recorded in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, and Kampala, the capital of Uganda. In Ituri province alone, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths have been reported, although only eight cases have been laboratory-confirmed so far.
WHO warned that the actual number of infections and the geographic spread of the outbreak may be significantly higher than current figures suggest. Out of 13 tested samples across affected regions, eight returned positive results.
The organization stated that while the situation has not yet reached the level of a full global pandemic, the risk of further international spread is serious and requires a coordinated international response.
Officials also reported two confirmed cases in Kampala, one of which resulted in death, with no direct epidemiological link between the patients; both had recently traveled from Congo. A separate case in Kinshasa involved a patient who had traveled from Ituri province.
Authorities emphasized that no approved vaccine is currently available for this strain of Ebola, increasing concerns over containment and emergency response capacity.