The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern over an Ebola outbreak spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda, following more than 300 suspected infections and at least 88 deaths.
The decision was announced on Sunday, with WHO clarifying that while the situation is severe, it does not meet the threshold of a pandemic-level emergency such as COVID-19. The agency also advised against imposing international border closures, stressing that coordinated international support remains the preferred response.
WHO also reported on X that a laboratory-confirmed case had been identified in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital located roughly 1,000 kilometers from the outbreak’s epicenter in Ituri province. The patient had recently traveled from Ituri, raising concerns that the virus may be spreading beyond the initially identified zone. Additional suspected cases have also been recorded in North Kivu, a densely populated province bordering Ituri.
In eastern Congo, authorities in Goma confirmed the first detected case in the city on Sunday, saying the patient had arrived from Ituri and was currently isolated. Goma, which saw major fighting during a rebel advance in early 2025, remains affected by ongoing instability linked to clashes between government forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, which has displaced large numbers of people.
