This archive report was first published on 19 July 2019.
On July 19, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency as the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continued to spread.
The WHO warned that a fishmonger who died of Ebola may have carried the virus into both Rwanda and Uganda, highlighting the risk of further contagion beyond the North-East Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the WHO, the fishmonger vomited several times on July 11 in Mpondwe, a Ugandan border market, and a second fish trader who spent time there died of Ebola in Congo on Tuesday.
Twelve people have been identified as at high risk of catching Ebola from the fishmonger, but local officials have faced challenges in tracing their contacts due to fear of testing positive and being isolated.
The WHO's advisory committee of health experts cited 'worrying signs of possible extension of the epidemic' as the reason for declaring an international health emergency, despite previous declines to do so.
Health workers have faced skepticism and hostility from at-risk communities, with some believing Ebola is witchcraft or a political tool used to take land and minerals.
