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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern".
This comes after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths linked to Ebola were reported in the region.
On Sunday, May 17, in a social media post, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while the outbreak does not meet the criteria for a pandemic alert, it is an international concern, as neighbouring countries are at high risk of further spread.
Health authorities have confirmed the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a rare type of Ebola disease for which there are no vaccines.
Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in the DRC and Uganda, this is only the third time BVD has been reported.
The WHO said the outbreak could be much larger, given the high positivity rate of the initial samples and the increasing number of suspected cases being reported.
Officials first reported the spread of the virus in the DRC's eastern province of Ituri, close to Uganda and South Sudan, on Friday.
A day later, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDCP) reported 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths.
Uganda on Saturday confirmed one case, which was imported from the DRC, sharing that the patient died at a hospital in its capital, Kampala. The WHO then confirmed a second case that had been reported in Kampala, adding that the two cases did not appear to be linked and both patients had travelled from the DRC.
The DRC-Uganda outbreak poses a public health risk to neighbouring countries, with the UN health agency advising countries to activate their national disaster and emergency management mechanisms and undertake cross-border screening and screening at main internal roads.
Furthermore, the WHO advised immediate isolation of confirmed cases, allowing only restricted national travel and no international travel until 21 days after exposure.
