US CDC Escalates Ebola Response After 8 Congo Cases Trigger WHO Emergency

10 articles · Updated · Fortune · May 17

The CDC is sending additional staff to Congo and Uganda early this week and has activated its emergency response center after the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO cited cross-border transmission, unexplained death clusters and uncertainty over the outbreak’s scale, saying the Bundibugyo strain likely spread undetected for weeks and has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Congo has reported 8 confirmed cases, 246 suspected infections and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri province, while Uganda has recorded 2 infections and 1 death among travelers from Congo.
More than 30 CDC staff are already in each country, with support focused on lab testing, contact tracing and surveillance; the US has also issued 2 travel notices and added port-of-entry screening as officials say domestic risk remains low.
The declaration is the first WHO global health emergency designation since mpox in 2024 and is intended to unlock international funding and coordination for the response.

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