The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The outbreak has been reported in eastern DR Congo’s Ituri province, where health authorities have identified dozens of suspected cases and deaths across multiple health zones, including Bunia and nearby mining towns.
Only a small number of cases have been laboratory confirmed so far, but surveillance continues due to ongoing transmission risks.
The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no widely approved treatment or vaccine is currently available.
The strain can cause severe illness, beginning with flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and muscle pain, followed in advanced stages by vomiting, diarrhoea, and internal or external bleeding.
Infections have been detected across several locations in eastern Congo, with at least one case also identified in Kinshasa involving a patient who had recently travelled from the affected region.
Cross-border cases have also been reported in Uganda, where a patient with links to DR Congo later tested positive before dying, raising concerns over regional transmission.
WHO has warned that factors including population movement, ongoing security challenges, and limited healthcare capacity in affected areas could accelerate the spread of the virus.
Border regions between DR Congo and neighbouring countries have been placed under heightened surveillance due to active trade and travel routes.