WHO says Ebola not global emergency

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on May 20 that the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda does not meet the threshold for a “pandemic emergency,” even after the World Health Organization elevated it days earlier to a public health emergency of international concern. WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus species, carries high risk at national and regional levels but low risk globally. The agency’s emergency posture reflects two judgments at once: cross-border spread and uncertainty are serious enough to trigger the International Health Regulations, but the outbreak is not being treated as a worldwide pandemic event. ### If it is not a global emergency, what did WHO actually declare? WHO said on May 17 that the epidemic in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, or PHEIC, under the International Health Regulations. In the same determination, the agency said it did not meet the criteria for a “pandemic emergency,” a newer category under the regulations. (who.int) The May 17 WHO statement said the decision was based on rising suspected cases and deaths in Ituri province in eastern Congo, plus confirmed imported cases in Kampala. WHO said eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths had been reported in Ituri as of May 16, while Uganda had reported two laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, in Kampala. (who.int) ### Why did Tedros draw that distinction? Tedros said at a May 20 briefing that WHO assesses the Ebola risk as high at the national and regional levels and low at the global level. UN News, summarizing the same briefing, reported that the agency said the outbreak did not represent a global pandemic emergency despite the elevated regional danger. (who.int) The WHO chief also said the organization was pushing a rapid, community-centered response. In his briefing remarks, Tedros said every Ebola outbreak begins in communities and ends in communities, framing the response around surveillance, contact tracing, treatment, infection prevention and local engagement rather than broad global restrictions. (who.int) ### What is different about this outbreak? WHO said the outbreak involves Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, a rarer Ebola species than the Zaire strain associated with several past African outbreaks. The May 17 determination said the Kampala cases were linked to travel from Congo, underscoring the cross-border element that helped drive the PHEIC decision. (who.int) The agency also said one person who returned from Ituri to Kinshasa and was initially reported as a case later tested negative on confirmatory testing by Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research. That update narrowed the confirmed spread described in WHO’s published determination. (who.int) ### Where does the pandemic-agreement fight fit in? WHO said the broader pandemic agreement was adopted in May 2025, but one of its central operational pieces remains unfinished. The unresolved part is the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, or PABS, which is meant to govern how pathogen samples are shared and how benefits such as vaccines, tests or treatments are distributed. (who.int) WHO member states said on May 1 that they needed more time to finalize the PABS annex. The organization said the Intergovernmental Working Group will continue negotiating that annex, and its outcome is due to be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026. ### What happens next in this Ebola response? (who.int) WHO’s published advice now focuses on Congo and Uganda strengthening emergency coordination, surveillance, laboratory testing, case management and community engagement. The agency’s determination under the International Health Regulations also gives other governments a formal signal to review preparedness without treating the event as a global pandemic emergency. (who.int) The next institutional marker is the continued negotiation of the PABS annex through the WHO intergovernmental working group, with further sessions listed for July and September 2026. On the outbreak itself, WHO’s risk assessment and case counts will be updated through its emergency and outbreak notices as the response in Ituri and Kampala continues. (who.int 1) (who.int 2)