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The World Health Organization told delegates at the World Health Assembly on 20 May that the Bundibugyo-strain Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda is moving fast, with hundreds of suspected cases and more than a hundred suspected deaths, and has been judged a Public Health Emergency of International Concern while the risk remains high nationally and regionally but low globally. WHO officials and international partners said delays in detection and lack of strain-specific vaccines or therapeutics complicate the response and could make the outbreak substantially larger than currently confirmed.
Geneva — The World Health Organization told delegates at the World Health Assembly on 20 May that the outbreak of Bundibugyo‑strain Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda is moving rapidly and poses a substantial challenge to regional health systems.
WHO officials said the event has been judged a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and that hundreds of suspected cases and more than a hundred suspected deaths have been reported. The agency maintained that while the overall global risk is low, the epidemic risk remains high at national and regional levels as long as transmission continues.
Speaking at the WHA, WHO leaders warned that delays in detection and the absence of vaccines and therapeutics specifically matched to the Bundibugyo strain complicate containment efforts and increase the likelihood that the outbreak could be substantially larger than currently confirmed. Reuters reported that WHO believes the virus was likely circulating in the DRC for about two months before detection, and that the outbreak is expected to grow.
Health workers on the ground have described steep operational pressures. Associated Press reporting cited frontline clinicians saying they are underprepared for this rare Ebola type, underscoring concerns about diagnostic delays, treatment gaps and the need for rapid case finding and contact tracing.
Regional and international response measures accelerated this week. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention invoked its continental emergency mechanism to coordinate a multinational response and urged sustained support for affected countries. Donor governments have announced initial financial commitments, with reporting indicating an early U.S. assistance package in the order of about $13 million and other pledges, while some states introduced airport screening and entry measures to limit cross‑border spread.
Those unilateral travel measures drew criticism from African public‑health officials, who urged that investments focus on strengthening national and regional health security rather than restrictive approaches that can hinder coordinated responses.
The WHO declaration and intensified diplomacy are taking place as member states and civil‑society delegates convene for the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva (18–23 May). Pandemic preparedness, WHO financing and health‑systems resilience have dominated discussions, with delegates warning that funding shortfalls and geopolitical tensions could undermine the agency’s capacity to respond to concurrent emergencies.
Alongside the Ebola response, WHO continues to manage a separate multi‑country hantavirus cluster linked to the MV Hondius expedition cruise ship. WHO’s Disease Outbreak News updates and United Nations Geneva briefings in May documented multiple confirmed cases and several deaths associated with the cluster, and described ongoing evacuations, repatriations and quarantines coordinated with EU and national authorities. WHO and partners have assessed the global risk from the hantavirus cluster as low, while operations to complete evacuations and manage quarantine measures proceeded.
WHO officials and international partners have called for scaled-up surveillance, rapid laboratory confirmation, accelerated logistics for protective equipment and cross‑border coordination to contain transmission of Bundibugyo Ebola and to limit the wider public‑health consequences. With treatment and vaccine options limited for this strain, experts emphasized that rapid case detection, robust infection‑prevention measures and sustained donor support will be critical to preventing further spread and protecting frontline health workers.