What to Know About Ebola Deemed Global Health Emergency by WHO

By Al Mayadeen English

18 May 2026 08:29

WHO fears the Ebola outbreak may be much larger than reported, as it could expand rapidly due to delayed detection, conflict, and the absence of approved vaccines.

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda are racing to contain a growing Ebola outbreak that has already caused 246 suspected infections and 88 deaths, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the situation “a public health emergency of international concern.”

The outbreak began in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri, but infections have since spread to other parts of the DRC and crossed into neighboring Uganda, raising fears of a wider regional health crisis.

The WHO warned that the combination of delayed detection, cross-border transmission, and the absence of an approved vaccine for the specific strain involved could make containment significantly more difficult.

What you should know

Ebola is a highly contagious and frequently fatal viral disease that causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. The virus is believed to originate mainly in fruit bats and spreads to humans through what scientists call “zoonotic spillover", or animal-to-human transmission.

Once a person is infected, the virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, including blood, vomit, semen, and other secretions.

Symptoms typically begin with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches before progressing to vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

Fatality rate, outbreaks, strains

According to the WHO, Ebola has an average fatality rate of around 50%, though some outbreaks have recorded even higher death rates.

More than 40 Ebola outbreaks have been documented since the disease was first identified in 1976. The current outbreak marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

There are four known Ebola strains that infect humans: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, and Tai Forest. The WHO confirmed that the current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has only caused two previous outbreaks globally, in 2007 and 2012.

Why this outbreak has experts worried

Health experts say the outbreak is particularly alarming because there is currently no approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.

Dr. Simon Williams, an infectious disease expert at Swansea University, said existing Ebola vaccines, including the Ervebo vaccine used in previous outbreaks, are ineffective against this variant.

“There are no Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines,” Williams said, warning that Ebola remains “a nasty disease with a very high case fatality rate.”

Less easily transmited, far more deadly

Although Ebola spreads less easily than viruses such as COVID-19 or measles, experts stress that it is far more deadly and can kill otherwise healthy individuals, not only vulnerable populations.

Containment efforts are also being complicated by the security situation in eastern DRC, where armed conflict and militia activity continue to disrupt healthcare operations.

Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia said healthcare centers have previously been attacked by armed groups during Ebola responses, creating fear among local populations and discouraging infected individuals from seeking treatment.

“In the past healthcare facilities have been targeted by militias,” Hunter said, adding that some patients may avoid medical care entirely, increasing the risk of further transmission within families and communities.

How the outbreak escaped early detection

The outbreak reportedly began in April, but health authorities were only formally alerted on May 5 after information circulated on social media.

The earliest known suspected patient, a 59-year-old man, developed symptoms on April 24 and died three days later.

By the time officials recognized the outbreak, at least 50 people had already died, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Delayed detection a key factor

Public health specialists warn that delayed detection may have allowed the virus to spread unchecked for weeks or even months.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, warned that any delay in responding to Ebola outbreaks can have “catastrophic consequences.”

Dr. Anne Cori, an infectious disease modeling expert at Imperial College London, said the unusually high number of suspected cases identified before the official declaration suggests the outbreak had already spread significantly before containment measures began.

She noted that late detection makes strategies such as contact tracing far more difficult, especially in conflict zones already facing instability and weak healthcare infrastructure.

What happens if the virus continues to spread?

Health authorities fear the outbreak could expand substantially beyond its current scale.

While the outbreak originated in Ituri province, Uganda has already confirmed two cross-border cases involving people who traveled from the DRC. One infected patient later died in a hospital in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.

The WHO warned that the high proportion of positive tests among suspected cases, combined with deaths in Ituri and confirmed infections in Kampala, indicates the outbreak may already be much larger than currently documented.

The organization also cautioned that there are still “significant uncertainties” surrounding the true number of infections and the geographical spread of the outbreak.

Officials fear continued regional transmission could place neighboring countries at increased risk if containment efforts fail in the coming weeks.