WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda an international health emergency

The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a ‘public health emergency of international concern’. The declaration came on Sunday evening following confirmation of cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus variant in both countries. The WHO’s decision signals serious alarm about the potential for the virus to spread beyond the affected regions. However, the organisation stopped short of classifying the situation as a ‘pandemic emergency’, indicating that while the outbreak requires urgent international attention and coordination, transmission remains largely contained to specific areas. The Bundibugyo variant is one of several known Ebola strains and has been responsible for previous outbreaks in Central Africa, though it generally has lower mortality rates than other variants such as Zaire. The WHO’s emergency declaration will trigger increased international support for disease control measures, including vaccination efforts, contact tracing and healthcare worker protection in the affected nations.

Source: Walla News — Original article in Hebrew.