According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the outbreak has so far recorded 336 suspected and confirmed cases in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo. The outbreak marks the country’s 17th Ebola epidemic since 1976.

Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said during an online press briefing that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no strain-specific vaccine is currently available.

The agency warned that cross-border movement, mining-related mobility, and weak disease surveillance systems could complicate efforts to contain the virus.

Regional concern has intensified after Uganda confirmed an imported Ebola case linked to the outbreak in DR Congo. Ugandan authorities said a 59-year-old Congolese man who died in Kampala on Thursday tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain.

Africa CDC has classified the outbreak as Grade 3, the highest level of emergency response, with the risk rated “very high” within DR Congo, “high” across eastern Africa, and “moderate” for the rest of the continent.

The agency cited several factors behind the elevated risk, including a four-week delay in detecting the outbreak, active community transmission in a peri-urban mining area, weak contact tracing systems, infection prevention gaps, and deaths among healthcare workers.

The outbreak has also prompted neighbouring Rwanda to tighten preventive measures. Authorities on Sunday temporarily closed the Petite Barrière, Grande Barrière, and Kabuhanga border posts in Rubavu District, key crossing points between Gisenyi and Goma.

Rubavu District Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said the decision was taken as a precaution to prevent the spread of Ebola into Rwanda.

“Borders connecting Goma and Gisenyi have been temporarily closed while monitoring the Ebola outbreak. We will continue engaging with citizens to explain the reasons behind this decision,” he said.

Despite the closure, health authorities continue to screen Rwandan nationals entering from DR Congo, as well as Congolese citizens returning home under strict monitoring measures.

On Sunday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern,” calling for a coordinated global response.

The WHO, however, clarified that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, does not currently meet the threshold for classification as a pandemic emergency.

Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, body pain, fatigue, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. According to the WHO, fatality rates vary depending on the Ebola virus subtype.