The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern following the spread of infections within the country and into neighboring Uganda.
The declaration was announced on Monday, 18 May, after health officials reported about 246 suspected Ebola cases and around 80 deaths in eastern DR Congo, mainly in Ituri province.
According to the WHO, the outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or medicines.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there were “significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread” of the outbreak.
The WHO said the situation did not yet meet the conditions of a pandemic emergency but warned that the outbreak could become much larger if control measures fail.
Cases have been reported in Bunia, Mongwalu, and Rwampara in Ituri province. One confirmed case was also recorded in Kinshasa after a patient traveled from the affected area.
Two confirmed cases were later reported in Uganda. Ugandan authorities said one infected person, a 59-year-old Congolese citizen, died in Kampala before the body was returned to DR Congo.
Health officials said insecurity in eastern Congo, population movement, and crowded urban areas were increasing the risk of transmission.
Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya said the absence of approved treatment had made the situation more difficult.
“Currently, I’m in panic mode because people are dying. I don’t have medicines. I don’t have a vaccine to support countries,” he told Sky News.
He also warned that international travel increased the risk beyond Africa.
“Western countries, they don’t understand that when Africa is affected, they are also at risk because people are flying every day,” he said.
The WHO has advised the DR Congo and Uganda to establish emergency operations centers, increase contact tracing, and immediately isolate confirmed cases.
The agency also urged neighboring countries to improve border surveillance and health reporting systems. However, it advised against closing borders or restricting trade and travel, stating that such actions “have no basis in science”.
Rwanda announced tighter health screening at its border with the DR Congo, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would send additional staff to the DR Congo and Uganda.
The outbreak is the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in DR Congo since the disease was first identified there in 1976. Between 2018 and 2020, more than 2,300 people died during one of the country’s deadliest Ebola outbreaks.
Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases can lead to internal and external bleeding.
Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Reaches 11 Cases
Meanwhile, health authorities in the Netherlands are preparing to receive the cruise ship MV Hondius after a hantavirus outbreak linked to the vessel resulted in 11 reported cases and three deaths.
The ship was expected to arrive in Rotterdam on Monday, 18 May 2026, after sailing from the Canary Islands.
According to the WHO, nine of the 11 cases have been laboratory confirmed.
The outbreak began after several passengers traveled in South America, where health officials believe exposure to the Andes strain of hantavirus may have occurred.
Passengers from the vessel were flown to more than 20 countries for quarantine after leaving the ship in Tenerife, Spain. Some travelers remain under observation in Europe and North America.
Canadian health authorities confirmed that one passenger in isolation tested positive, while 18 Americans are being monitored at specialist medical facilities in the United States.
The Dutch government said crew members unable to return home would remain in quarantine after the ship docks.
After all passengers and crew leave the vessel, health officials plan to disinfect the ship before allowing further operations.
The cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said no crew members currently on board were showing symptoms and stated that it did not expect major changes to future operations.
France’s Pasteur Institute said tests on the virus found no evidence that it had developed new characteristics that would make it more transmissible or more dangerous. The outbreak remains under investigation.
