The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province a public health emergency of international concern.
The agency said the outbreak, which has so far recorded around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency.
WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that there are currently “significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread” of the outbreak.
The health agency said the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines.
Eight laboratory-confirmed cases have been recorded so far, while suspected cases and deaths have been reported across three health zones, including Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
The WHO said the virus has also spread beyond DR Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighbouring Uganda.
Ugandan officials said a 59-year-old man who died on Thursday later tested positive for the virus.
Countries bordering DR Congo are considered at high risk of further spread because of population movement, trade and travel.
The WHO has advised DR Congo and Uganda to establish emergency operation centres to monitor the outbreak, trace contacts and strengthen infection-prevention measures.
To reduce the risk of transmission, the agency said confirmed cases should be isolated immediately and treated until two Bundibugyo virus-specific tests, conducted at least 48 hours apart, return negative results.
Governments in countries bordering areas with confirmed cases have also been urged to strengthen surveillance and health reporting.
However, the WHO said 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 basis in science”.
Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now DR Congo and is believed to have originated in bats. The latest outbreak marks the country’s 17th outbreak of the deadly viral disease.
The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and broken skin, and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and bleeding.
There is no proven cure for Ebola, while the average fatality rate is around 50%, according to the WHO.
Africa CDC previously said it was concerned about the high risk of further spread because of the urban settings of Rwampara and Bunia, as well as mining activities in Mongwalu.
The agency’s executive director, Dr Jean Kaseya, said that “significant population movement” between the affected areas and neighbouring countries also made regional co-ordination essential.
Around 15,000 people have died from Ebola across African countries over the past 50 years.
DR Congo’s deadliest outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died.
Last year, 45 people died following an outbreak in a remote region.
