On 17 May 2026 the World Health Organization declared that the Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The Director-General of the World Health Organization said the decision came after consultations with the States Parties where the event is known to be currently occurring and that the situation “does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, as defined in the IHR.”
The declaration follows newly confirmed infections across borders: two confirmed cases were reported in Kampala on 15 and 16 May after travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a laboratory-confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa on 16 May. Both confirmed cases in Kampala were admitted to intensive care units. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.
The WHO said international spread had already been documented and that neighboring countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo are at high risk for further spread. The agency said the event requires international coordination and cooperation to understand the extent of the outbreak and to coordinate surveillance, prevention and response efforts; it planned to convene an Emergency Committee as soon as possible to advise on temporary recommendations for States Parties.
The WHO statement was updated to provide the status of the Kinshasa case reported on 16 May, and the agency specifically advised the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to undertake cross-border screenings. The Director-General emphasized that the determination followed direct consultations with affected States Parties before the formal declaration.
International health agencies and media reports have flagged the wider scale of illness in the region. The, citing the Democratic Republic of the Congo health ministry, reported around 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths tied to the outbreak. The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines — a fact the WHO said heightens the need for rapid cooperation across borders.
Public health authorities outside the region are already reacting. The United States has issued a Level Four travel advisory warning against travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The CDC said it was supporting the “safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans who are directly affected” and that the risk to the United States remained low, even as American news reporting, drawing on U.S. sources, indicated that at least six Americans were exposed during the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the reported one American is believed to have symptoms and three others are said to have faced a high-risk contact or exposure.
The tension in the response is plain: WHO has escalated the situation to a global emergency to mobilize international action while also saying the event falls short of a pandemic-level emergency under the International Health Regulations. That distinction matters for the kinds of recommendations and travel measures the WHO can advise, even as immediate steps — screening at borders, case finding and coordinated surveillance — are being urged to blunt cross-border transmission now.
Local practices and movement complicate the picture. Two confirmed Kampala cases followed travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and community behaviors that follow death — including funerals — can drive spread of Ebola viruses. Jean Kaseya put it bluntly: “We don't want people infected because of funerals.” That single line captures the on-the-ground dilemma public health teams face when trying to stop transmission without alienating communities.
The WHO will ask an Emergency Committee to recommend temporary measures to States Parties and to clarify the mix of actions needed internationally; the committee’s guidance is likely to shape travel and screening protocols, cross-border cooperation and resource requests. Given there are no approved vaccines or drugs for Bundibugyo virus, those recommendations will focus on surveillance, infection prevention, safe patient care and community engagement.
The most consequential question now is whether the emergency classification will produce faster, better-coordinated action across a porous border region where suspected cases and deaths have already been reported. For people like Jean Kaseya, who warned against infections tied to funerals, the speed of that coordination — and whether communities are brought into planning rather than treated as obstacles — will decide if the outbreak is contained or continues to spread.
