CANADA PERSPECTIVE

Ottawa, May 18, 2026. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Sunday in response to the Ebola epidemic unfolding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This marks the first such declaration since mpox in 2024, coming as the death toll reaches 88 with 336 suspected infections, yet only 8 cases confirmed in laboratory tests — a gap that reveals deep gaps in epidemiological surveillance.

The outbreak stems from the Bundibugyo strain, one of the rarest in the Ebola genus: only two prior outbreaks have been documented, in Uganda in 2007-2008 (149 cases, 37 deaths) and in Congo in 2012 (57 cases, 29 deaths). The current outbreak has already surpassed both previous episodes combined in suspected case numbers. Amanda Rojek, professor at the Oxford University Pandemic Institute, noted that "Bundibugyo has fewer proven countermeasures than Ebola Zaire, for which vaccines have been highly effective."

Geographic spread concerns Canadian observers. A case has been confirmed in Kinshasa, a capital city of roughly 20 million people located about 1,000 kilometers from the epicenter in Ituri Province. Two cases have also been detected in Kampala, Uganda's capital, in travelers returning from Congo. The virus has additionally been identified in Goma, an eastern city controlled by M23 rebels. The Africa CDC coordinates enhanced surveillance with South Sudan.

At least four health workers have died under circumstances suggestive of viral hemorrhagic fever, indicating possible transmission in hospital settings. Contact tracing efforts remain severely hampered: armed conflicts with militants linked to the Islamic State, population movements tied to cross-border mining activity, and persistent underreporting in remote zones.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described "significant uncertainties regarding the actual number of infected persons and the geographic extent." He clarified that the declaration does not correspond to a pandemic emergency — a category created after COVID-19 — and that borders should not be closed, as such measures risk pushing movement toward unmonitored crossing points.

Canadian media note that PHEIC declarations have not always delivered expected results: during the 2024 mpox crisis, experts already reported that this designation contributed little to rapidly distributing diagnostics, medications, and vaccines to affected countries.