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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern.
The agency said the outbreak in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where some 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths have been reported, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. But it warned that it could potentially be "a much larger outbreak" than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.
The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the health agency said, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, and sore throat, and are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and bleeding.
The WHO said there are now eight laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus, with other suspected cases and deaths in three health zones, including Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the gold mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
One case of the virus has been confirmed in the capital Kinshasa, believed to be in a patient returning from Ituri. The WHO said the virus has spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighboring Uganda. Ugandan officials said a 59-year-old man who died on Thursday had tested positive.
How worrisome is the global Ebola emergency?
In a statement, the Ugandan government said the patient who died was a Congolese national, whose body has now been returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A laboratory has also confirmed a case of Ebola in the eastern city of Goma, currently controlled by M23 rebels, the AFP news agency reported on Sunday.
The WHO said the ongoing security situation and humanitarian crisis in the DR Congo, combined with high population mobility, the urban location of the hotspot and the large number of informal health care facilities in the region, increased the risk of spread. Countries bordering the DR Congo are considered high-risk due to trade and travel.
The WHO advised that DR Congo and Uganda establish emergency operations centers to monitor, trace and implement infection prevention measures. To minimize spread, the health agency said confirmed cases should be immediately isolated and treated until two specific tests for Bundibugyo virus performed at least 48 hours apart come back negative.
For countries bordering regions with confirmed cases, governments should strengthen health surveillance and reporting.
The WHO added that countries outside the affected region should not close their borders or restrict travel and trade as "such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no scientific basis."
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that there is currently "considerable uncertainty about the true number of people infected and the geographic spread" of the outbreak.
What is Ebola and how is it spread?
What is causing this outbreak? Ebola is a disease caused by a virus - it is rare but serious and often deadly. There are three types of Ebola virus that cause outbreaks, and this one is known as Bundibugyo.
How is Ebola transmitted? It spreads between people through infected bodily fluids, such as blood and vomit.
How deadly is it? About 30% of people have died in previous outbreaks of the Ebola virus Bundibugyo.
What is the incubation period? Symptoms appear between two and 21 days after infection.
What are the symptoms? Initial symptoms come on suddenly and are similar to the flu, such as fever, headache, and fatigue. As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhea develop, and the body's organs do not function as well. Some patients may develop internal and external bleeding.
Where does Ebola come from? Outbreaks start when someone becomes infected with Ebola from infected animals, such as fruit bats.
Is there a vaccine? Vaccines exist for the Zaire Ebola strain, but not for Bundibugyo.
Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo and is thought to have been spread by bats. This is the 17th outbreak of the deadly viral disease in the country.
There is no proven cure for Ebola, with an average fatality rate of about 50%, according to the WHO. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously said it was concerned about the high risk of further spread due to the urban environments of Rwampara and Bunia, as well as mining activities in Mongwalu.
The health agency's executive director, Dr. Jean Kaseya, added that the "significant population movement" between affected areas and neighboring countries also meant that regional coordination was essential.
About 15,000 people have died from the virus in African countries over the past 50 years. The deadliest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was between 2018 and 2020, during which nearly 2,300 people died. Last year, 45 people died after an outbreak in a remote region.
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