India, May 18 -- WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and neighbouring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths.

In a post on X, the World Health Organization said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, and advised against the closure of international borders.

WHO said a laboratory-confirmed case has also been reported in Congo's capital of Kinshasa, which is about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the outbreak's epicentre in the eastern province of Ituri, suggesting a possible wider spread.

It said the patient had visited Ituri and that other suspected...