Democratic Republic of the Congo erupts with a “rare Ebola virus strain,” causing 80 deaths. After the U.S. withdrew, the WHO urgently announced a PHEIC state

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 17 that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has constituted a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (PHEIC). WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak poses a cross-border transmission risk to other countries and requires international coordination and cooperation. At the same time, he emphasized that the current incident “does not meet the standards for a pandemic emergency,” and does not recommend that countries seal their borders or restrict travel and trade.

At least 80 dead in Congo’s Ituri province; imported cases appear in Uganda’s capital

According to a WHO notice, as of May 16, 2026, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province, at least three health zones—including Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu—have reported 8 laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths. WHO also noted that multiple community death clusters have emerged locally; the symptoms are consistent with the Bundibugyo virus, and reporting of suspected cases has expanded to Ituri province and North Kivu province.

There are signs the outbreak has spread across the border. In the capital Kampala, Uganda, two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported within the 24 hours of May 15 and May 16, including one death. Both patients had entered Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and as of now, there appears to be no clear link between the two. WHO said this indicates international transmission has already occurred, but as of the latest reporting, Uganda has not confirmed ongoing local transmission.

WHO previously mentioned a case that returned from Ituri to Kinshasa, but it later updated the notice to say that after retesting by the Congolese National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), the Bundibugyo virus result was negative, so the case is no longer listed as a confirmed case.

Rare Bundibugyo virus strain: no approved vaccine or dedicated therapy

The key challenge of this outbreak is that the disease is driven by the rarer Bundibugyo virus (BVD). WHO said that on May 14, INRB analyzed 13 blood samples from the Rwampara health zone in Ituri province and confirmed on May 15 that 8 of them tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus. On the same day, the Congolese Ministry of Public Health officially announced the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.

Unlike the more common and more closely watched Ebola-Zaire virus strain, there are currently no approved Bundibugyo-specific vaccines or targeted therapies. WHO pointed out that in the past two Bundibugyo virus disease outbreaks, the case fatality rate was about 30% to 50%. Although specific therapy is lacking, early supportive treatment can still save lives.

This is also one of the reasons WHO described this outbreak as “unusual.” A STAT report said that in recorded history, there have only been two Bundibugyo outbreaks, the public health system has relatively limited experience responding to this virus strain, and the available prevention and control tools are clearly fewer than for the Zaire-type Ebola.

WHO warning: the actual scale may be larger than current reported figures

In its announcement, WHO warned that there are still major uncertainties regarding the true number of infections, the geographic spread range, and the epidemiological linkages between cases. The preliminary sample positivity rate is high: 8 out of 13 samples were positive. Combined with rising reports of suspected cases and death clusters in Ituri province, and confirmation of cases in Kampala, Uganda, all of these point to the outbreak scale possibly being far larger than current detection and reporting figures.

More difficult still, Ituri province itself is a commercial and population movement hub, neighboring Uganda and South Sudan, and the area has long faced unstable security conditions, a humanitarian crisis, highly mobile populations, and a large network of informal medical facilities. WHO believes these factors will amplify the risk of local and regional spread of the outbreak.

The outbreak is also occurring at a sensitive time when the United States has significantly weakened its role in global health. The United States has long been the largest external participant in Ebola outbreak responses, but experts worry that the Trump administration’s cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its decision for the U.S. to withdraw from WHO may affect global outbreak response capacity.

WHO recommendations: isolate cases, screen at borders—but do not seal borders

WHO’s recommendations for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda include: activating national disaster and emergency response mechanisms, establishing emergency operation centers, strengthening case management, surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, and cross-border preparedness. WHO also requires isolating confirmed cases and tracing and monitoring contacts.

For neighboring countries, WHO recommends that countries bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo immediately activate national disaster and emergency response mechanisms, and strengthen screening and monitoring at border ports and major inland roads. However, WHO also clearly calls on countries not to close borders or restrict travel and trade, because such measures may force people and cargo flows onto unmonitored informal cross-border routes, thereby undermining the visibility of outbreak prevention and control.

This article: The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s “rare Ebola virus strain” causes 80 deaths; after the U.S. withdraws, WHO urgently announces PHEIC status — first appeared on Lianxin ABMedia.