According to the WHO, the outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus and, although it does not currently qualify as a pandemic-level emergency, countries sharing borders with the DRC face a high risk of further spread.
The UN health agency said that as of Saturday, authorities had reported 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected infections in the DRC’s eastern Ituri province across several health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The DRC health ministry confirmed on Friday that at least 80 people had died in the latest outbreak, which marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified there in 1976.
WHO officials warned the actual scale of the outbreak could be significantly larger because of the high positivity rate among tested samples and the growing number of suspected infections being reported.
The agency described the situation as “extraordinary” because there are currently no approved vaccines or virus-specific treatments available for the Bundibugyo strain, unlike the more common Ebola-Zaire variant responsible for most previous outbreaks in the DRC.
The WHO also confirmed that international spread had already occurred. In Uganda’s capital Kampala, two unrelated laboratory-confirmed cases — including one death — were reported involving individuals who had travelled from the DRC.
Another confirmed case was detected in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, involving a traveller returning from Ituri province.
The WHO advised countries to activate emergency response mechanisms, intensify border screening measures and monitor key transport routes to prevent further transmission.
The agency stressed that confirmed patients and contacts linked to the Bundibugyo virus should avoid international travel unless medically evacuated. It recommended immediate isolation of confirmed cases and daily monitoring of contacts for 21 days after exposure.
At the same time, the WHO urged governments not to impose blanket border closures or trade restrictions, warning that such measures could encourage unmonitored informal crossings and worsen containment efforts.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals, contaminated materials or deceased victims. Symptoms include fever, body aches, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding.
The dense tropical forests of the DRC are considered a natural reservoir for Ebola viruses, making the region particularly vulnerable to recurring outbreaks.
