BRAZIL PERSPECTIVE

Brasília, May 18, 2026. The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern, a maximum alert threshold that does not, however, according to specialists cited by Folha de S.Paulo, equate to the announcement of a pandemic. The distinction is central in the Brazilian treatment of the crisis: the global risk remains 'low' for the general population, even if the situation on the ground is considered serious.

The toll is rapidly increasing. According to Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 100 people have died and more than 390 suspected cases have been reported in the DRC. In Uganda, two confirmed cases and one death have been reported, marking the crossing of an international border. The strain in question is the Bundibugyo virus, a rare species that has only caused two outbreaks previously — in 2007 and 2012 — with a mortality rate of around 30%. No vaccine or approved medication exists for this variant, which complicates the sanitary response.

The comparison with the large outbreak of 2014-2016 shapes the Brazilian narrative. At the time, nearly 28,600 people had been infected in West Africa and 11,325 had died. Brazil had not registered any confirmed cases, only suspicions that were quickly dismissed. Experts point out that the DRC has a vast experience in managing Ebola outbreaks and that the current response is 'significantly stronger than a decade ago', according to Daniela Manno of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Several factors, however, exacerbate the situation. The civil war that ravages eastern Congo hinders containment operations. The first case — a nurse who developed symptoms on April 24 — was not confirmed until three weeks later, due to initial negative tests. 'Transmission continued for several weeks and the outbreak was detected very late, which is worrying,' said Anne Cori of Imperial College London. The WHO estimates that the real outbreak could be 'potentially much larger than what is currently detected'.

Brazilian press also highlights the American dimension: six American citizens would have been exposed to the virus in the DRC, according to CBS News, one of them presenting symptoms.