Health experts say the outbreak is particularly alarming because the virus spread undetected for weeks in a conflict-hit region where civil war, displacement and weak healthcare infrastructure make containment extremely difficult.
According to the WHO, nearly 250 suspected cases and around 80 deaths have already been reported in the eastern Ituri province. Officials fear the actual number of infections could be significantly higher as transmission continued before the outbreak was formally confirmed.
The outbreak is being caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare species that has triggered only two previous outbreaks, in 2007 and 2012. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments available for Bundibugyo virus disease.
Experts say this lack of medical tools makes the outbreak especially dangerous.
“Dealing with Bundibugyo is one of the most significant concerns in this outbreak,” said Professor Trudie Lang of the University of Oxford.
Symptoms of Ebola typically appear between two and 21 days after infection and initially resemble flu-like illness, including fever, fatigue and headaches. As the disease progresses, patients can suffer vomiting, diarrhoea, organ failure and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
The first known patient in the current outbreak was reportedly a nurse who developed symptoms on April 24. However, confirmation of the outbreak took nearly three weeks because initial tests failed to identify Ebola, requiring more advanced laboratory analysis to confirm the Bundibugyo strain.
Health specialists warn that the delay allowed the virus to spread further than officials would have preferred before response measures began.
“Ongoing transmission has occurred for several weeks, and the outbreak has been detected very late, which is concerning,” said Dr Anne Cori from Imperial College London.
The WHO stressed that the declaration of a global emergency does not mean the world is facing another Covid-style pandemic. Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood and vomit, usually after symptoms begin, making it less contagious than airborne viruses.
Even during the massive 2014-16 West Africa Ebola outbreak — the deadliest in history, with more than 28,000 infections — only a handful of cases were recorded outside Africa.
Still, neighbouring countries including Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda are considered at high risk because of busy cross-border trade and population movement. Uganda has already confirmed two cases linked to the outbreak, including one death.
The crisis is unfolding in a region already destabilised by armed conflict and mass displacement. More than 250,000 people have reportedly been displaced from affected areas, many of which are mining towns with highly mobile populations, increasing the risk of further spread.
Health authorities are now racing to identify infected individuals, trace contacts, isolate patients and ensure safe burials, since Ebola can remain infectious after death.
Despite the challenges, experts say the DRC is far better prepared to deal with Ebola than it was a decade ago, having faced multiple outbreaks since the virus was first discovered there in 1976.
“The response is significantly stronger today than it was a decade ago,” said Dr Daniela Manno from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Officials say the coming weeks will determine whether the outbreak can be rapidly contained or develops into a much larger regional crisis.
