WHO declares Ebola outbreak global health emergency. How dangerous is the new strain?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo and neighbouring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern after hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths raised fears of wider regional spread.

The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has already spread from eastern Congo to the capital city of Kinshasa and crossed into Uganda, prompting the WHO to warn of “significant local and regional risk of spread”.

Health authorities have reported more than 300 suspected cases and at least 88 deaths so far. “This event is considered extraordinary,” the WHO said, adding that there were “significant uncertainties regarding the true number of infected persons and geographic spread”.

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What is the Bundibugyo Ebola strain?

The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo virus, a rare form of Ebola first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during a 2007-08 outbreak.

Unlike some other Ebola strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics specifically designed for the Bundibugyo variant. That is one of the key reasons the outbreak has alarmed global health authorities.

Although Congo and Uganda have experienced more than 20 Ebola outbreaks over the years, this is only the third known outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain.

The WHO said eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths had been reported in Congo’s Ituri province as of May 16. Uganda has reported two confirmed cases, including one death, in Kampala.

A confirmed case has also emerged in Kinshasa, about 1,000 km from the outbreak’s epicentre, raising fears that the virus may already be spreading through travel networks.

Why WHO is worried

The WHO said the outbreak was likely much larger than currently detected.

“The high positivity rate of the initial samples collected…the confirmation of cases in both Kampala and Kinshasa, the increasing trends in syndromic reporting of suspected cases and clusters of deaths across the province of Ituri all point towards a potentially much larger outbreak,” it said.

The agency also flagged several factors complicating containment efforts, including insecurity, humanitarian crises, high population movement and informal healthcare networks.

At least four healthcare workers have reportedly died in circumstances suggesting viral haemorrhagic fever, raising concerns about infections spreading inside medical facilities.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there remained a limited understanding of the epidemiological links between known and suspected cases. “There are significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread associated with this event at the present time,” he said.

Is this another COVID-style pandemic?

The WHO stressed that the current outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like COVID-19. The agency also advised against international border closures.

Still, the emergency declaration is designed to trigger faster international coordination, funding and surveillance efforts.

The global health agency said neighbouring countries sharing borders with Congo faced high risks because of population mobility, trade routes and continuing uncertainty around transmission chains.

How Ebola spreads

Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, vomit or semen from infected people. 

Symptoms can include fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

Previous Ebola outbreaks in Africa have killed thousands of people, though rapid isolation, contact tracing and vaccination campaigns have helped contain several recent outbreaks involving other Ebola strains.

For the Bundibugyo variant, however, health authorities currently lack approved vaccines or targeted treatments – making containment measures even more critical.

The WHO said it would soon convene an emergency committee to recommend further international response measures as authorities race to understand the scale of the outbreak.