The declaration follows confirmed outbreaks caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in both countries, with cases now detected across multiple locations, including capital cities.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision after consultations with authorities in the affected nations, saying the outbreak now constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, though it does not yet qualify as a pandemic emergency.

The agency said the outbreak in DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province, which has seen around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency.

But it warned it could potentially be “a much larger outbreak” than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.

In a statement, the Ugandan government said the patient who died was a Congolese citizen whose body had already been returned to DR Congo.

A laboratory has also confirmed an Ebola case in the eastern city of Goma, currently controlled by the M23 rebels, the AFP news agency reported on Sunday.