Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda declared a health emergency
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”—the agency’s highest level of emergency alarm.
Key facts about this outbreak:
The outbreak was announced just days ago, and cases have already appeared in the capitals of both countries. The WHO clarified that while this is a serious international emergency, it does not meet pandemic criteria. Uganda has activated containment protocols including contact tracing and quarantining close contacts.
This is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976, occurring just five months after the previous epidemic was declared over.
