Ebola outbreak in Africa spurs global health emergency declaration
Staff members at CBCA Virunga Hospital prepare rooms intended for possible suspected Ebola cases following official announcements in Goma, on May 17, 2026. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP via Getty Images)
With hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths already reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm about an Ebola disease outbreak by declaring a global health emergency.
Big picture view:
While the disease, which is caused by a rare but highly contagious virus, has been centralized in the two African nations, the WHO is concerned about it spreading to other countries and its warning is meant to spur an international response from donor agencies and governments.
A laboratory-confirmed case in Congo’s capital of Kinshasa, about 600 miles from the outbreak’s epicenter, has further heightened concerns about the spread of the virus.
Why you should care:
Ebola is highly contagious, often spread through bodily fluids like vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but the symptoms are severe and often fatal.
WHO noted the outbreak should not be considered a pandemic, like COVID-19 was at that time. It has advised against closing international borders.
Why you should care:
More than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths have been reported. All but two of the cases were in Congo, the WHO said, noting the other two were in neighboring Uganda.
The earliest known case was late last month when a 59-year-old man developed symptoms on April 24 and died three days later. By the time health authorities found out about the outbreak, 50 people had died, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Dig deeper:
This is the third time this particular variant of the Ebola disease, Bundibugyo, has been detected, despite the 20 outbreaks that have happened in the two countries, and this instance has been blamed for more deaths than the other two combined.
Nearly 150 people were infected in a 2007-2008 outbreak in Uganda that killed 37 people, while a 2012 outbreak in Congo infected 57 people and 29 deaths were reported.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.