GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Tuesday that he was “deeply concerned” about an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has also spread into Uganda and is believed to have killed 131 people.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the second-highest level of alert under international health regulations.
“I did not do this lightly… I’m deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” he told the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
He added that he would convene the agency’s emergency committee later on Tuesday “to advise us on temporary recommendations”.
The outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever was confirmed on Friday in Ituri province in northeastern DRC, which borders Uganda and South Sudan, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
It is the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC, and officials have warned there is a high risk of further spread.
Latest figures from the DRC health ministry show that the suspected death toll has risen to 131, with 513 reported cases.
However, because the outbreak is concentrated in hard-to-reach areas, only a limited number of samples have been laboratory tested.
Tedros said that so far, 30 cases had been confirmed as Ebola in the Ituri province.
He added that Uganda had informed WHO of two confirmed cases in the capital Kampala, including one death, involving individuals who had travelled from the DRC.
He further stated that a US citizen had tested positive and was transferred to Germany, as reported by the United States.
The WHO chief said the total number of confirmed and suspected cases is expected to change as field operations expand, including surveillance, contact tracing, and laboratory testing.
He warned there were several reasons for concern.
He noted that cases had been reported in urban areas, including Kampala, as well as in the large Congolese city of Goma, which is currently held by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.
He also said that Ituri province remains highly insecure, with recent intensified conflict displacing more than 100,000 people in the region.
Tedros added that deaths among health workers have been reported, suggesting possible healthcare-associated transmission.
He highlighted that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a species for which no vaccines or therapeutics are currently available.
He explained that vaccines are only available for the Zaire strain, identified in 1976, which has a higher fatality rate of 60–90 percent.
Tedros stressed that even without a vaccine, countries can still take effective measures to stop the spread, including risk communication and community engagement.
He said WHO has deployed teams on the ground to support national authorities, along with supplies, equipment, and funding.
The previous Ebola outbreak in the same region occurred last August and was declared over in December after causing at least 34 deaths.
Ebola, a virus believed to originate in bats and capable of causing severe bleeding and organ failure, has killed around 15,000 people across Africa over the past 50 years.
Nearly 2,300 deaths were recorded during the deadliest outbreak in the DRC between 2018 and 2020.