Watch, but do not wait: On the Ebola outbreak

With unusual alacrity, WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the Ebola outbreak in central Africa, not even waiting for the advice of an emergency committee of expert panellists, as is convention. WHO has nevertheless been feted for swift action by global health experts, given that there are several unknowns arising from the current strain responsible for the outbreak — the uncommon Bundibugyo strain. This strain has caused fewer outbreaks in the past and the efficacy of usually effective countermeasures such as vaccines (highly effective against the common Zaire strain) and other therapies, are currently untested with Bundibugyo. The new Ebola outbreak was notified in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. It is said to be smaller and confined to a limited cross-border region between the two nations, but there are still concerns that because of the ongoing conflict and displacement in the region, cases might go undetected, leading to a spread, and impairing access to care. According to WHO, as on May 16, 2026, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths have been reported in the DRC’s Ituri province. Two lab-confirmed cases (including one death) with no apparent link to each other have been reported in Kampala, Uganda. WHO has listed a clutch of factors — high positivity rate of the initial samples (eight positives among 13 samples); the confirmation of cases in Kampala; increasing trends in syndromic reporting of suspected cases; and clusters of deaths across Ituri province — that point towards a potentially much larger outbreak than what is being detected.

At any rate, WHO has rightly taken a risk-averse pathway, when dealing with a condition that has a 50% fatality rate. While it says that mortality rates can range between 25% and 50% depending on the viral strain, access to medical care, and speed of treatment, there are unknowns this time arising out of the Bundibugyo strain. Ebola is contagious, can spread from person to person, with exposure to body fluids and contaminated surfaces, and can be vicious; the horrific 2014-16 outbreak which swept across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, resulted in over 28,600 reported cases and 11,325 deaths. By issuing the highest level of global alert early on, WHO has solicited the co-operation of the world in handling the crises. Outbreak control activities at this stage must unfailingly include effective patient and contact tracing, intensive support for every patient, safe and dignified burials, vaccinations, if they work, and social mobilisation to spread information about the disease among the public.