The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern after officials reported more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media that while the outbreak does not meet the criteria for a pandemic, neighbouring countries face a high risk of additional infections.

Health authorities confirmed the outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus disease, a rare strain of Ebola for which there are no approved therapeutics or vaccines.

Despite more than 20 previous Ebola outbreaks across both countries, this is only the third known occurrence of the Bundibugyo strain.

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The organization warned that the total number of infections could be significantly higher because of the high positivity rate in early test samples and the rising number of suspected cases.

According to WHO data, the DRC accounts for nearly all of the suspected cases, except for two that were recorded in Uganda.

The first reports of the virus emerged in the DRC’s eastern Ituri province, bordering Uganda and South Sudan, on Friday.

By Saturday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths.

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Later that weekend, Congolese health authorities told AFP that a laboratory confirmed a case in the major city of Goma.

Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of the Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research, said the patient was the wife of a man who had died in Bunia and had travelled to Goma while infected.

The confirmation of a case in Goma heightened regional concern and led to tighter monitoring around border areas.

Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani, reporting from the city, said the DRC–Rwanda border closure has left residents on high alert and added that Rwanda’s preventive measures now seem “justified.”

Uganda also confirmed one imported case. The country’s health ministry said the patient, who had travelled from the DRC, died at a hospital in Kampala.

A second case was later confirmed in the capital. WHO stated that the two cases were not connected but both individuals had arrived from the DRC.

Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soy reported from Kampala that Uganda’s health authorities have tightened controls at the hospital where the first patient was treated. She said that workers there “are testing people, they’re checking for fever, they’re sanitising people and they’re giving them masks.”

Government officials told Soy they had traced people who came into contact with the patient and placed them under monitoring.

President Yoweri Museveni said there was “no need for alarm, as the situation is under control.” Soy added that while the DRC–Uganda border remained open, officials were closely monitoring cross-border movement.

The WHO advised neighbouring nations to activate emergency management systems and enhance screening both at border crossings and along major internal routes.

The agency recommended isolating confirmed cases immediately and restricting national travel until 21 days after exposure, though it cautioned against border closures or trade restrictions to avoid unmonitored movements.

The virus, which can cause fever, body pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reiterated that safe handling and monitoring remain essential in preventing further spread.

Health teams across the region have been mobilised to trace and contain cases, as both governments and international agencies move quickly to prevent the outbreak from escalating further.