THE head of the UN health body Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus yesterday declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and neighbouring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the Covid-19 pandemic, and advised against the closure of international borders.

Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids and is often fatal.

Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines.

Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.

Congo accounts for all except two of the cases, both of which were reported in Uganda, the WHO said.

The virus was first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during a 2007-2008 outbreak that infected 149 people and killed 37 people.

The second time was in 2012 in an outbreak in Isiro, Congo, where 57 cases and 29 deaths were reported.

The emergency declaration by WHO is meant to spur donor agencies and countries into action. However, the global response to previous declarations has been mixed.

In 2024 when the WHO declared monkeypox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency, experts at the time said it did little to get supplies like diagnostic tests, medicines and vaccines to affected countries quickly.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director-general Dr Jean Kaseya said on Saturday that a high number of active cases remain in the community, particularly in Mongwalu where the first cases were reported, “significantly complicating containment and contact tracing efforts.”

Violent conflict with militia, some backed by the Islamic State group, as well as constant population movement due to mining — both within Congo and across the border with Uganda — have also posed a major challenge to response efforts.

Officials first reported the spread of the disease in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, close to Uganda and South Sudan, on Friday.

On Saturday, the Africa CDC reported 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths in Congo.

“There are significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread associated with this event at the present time. In addition, there is limited understanding of the epidemiological links with known or suspected cases,” Mr Tedros said.