WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak In Africa ‘Extraordinary’ Public Health Emergency

BreakingBusinessBreaking NewsWHO Declares Ebola Outbreak In Africa ‘Extraordinary’ Public Health EmergencyByZachary Folk,Forbes Staff. I cover breaking news.Follow AuthorMay 17, 2026, 10:54am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineThe World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern late on Saturday night, after public health authorities identified 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths from the disease in the Congo caused by a virus with no approved specific vaccine or treatment.Officials suspect the disease has caused 80 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo so far.Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reservedKey FactsThe WHO has confirmed eight cases of Ebola in the DRC’s Ituri Province, and the suspected cases and deaths have been spread out across three different health zones in the province.Authorities in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, have also confirmed two cases of Ebola, including one death, in two people traveling from the DRC within 24 hours of each other but with no known connection to one another.The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, according to the WHO, an Ebolavirus for which public health authorities do not have an approved virus-specific vaccine.The WHO is calling the emergency “extraordinary,” but it does not meet the criteria to be considered a pandemic. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script); }; d...