The World Health Organization onSunday declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic ofCongo and Uganda a "public health emergency of internationalconcern", posing risks to neighbouring countries.

The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus,does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency but thatcountries sharing land borders with DRC are at high risk forfurther spread.

The U.N. health agency said in a statement that 80 suspecteddeaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected caseshad been reported as of Saturday in DRC's Ituri province acrossat least three health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara andMongbwalu.

INTERNATIONAL SPREAD DOCUMENTED, WHO SAYS

The DRC health ministry had said on Friday that 80 peoplehad died in the new outbreak in the eastern province.

The outbreak - the 17th in the country since Ebola was firstidentified there in 1976 - could be much larger, given the highpositivity rate of the initial samples and increasing number ofsuspected cases being reported, the WHO said.

The outbreak is "extraordinary" as there are no approvedBundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines, unlike forEbola-zaire strains, it said. All but one of the country'sprevious outbreaks were caused by the Zaire strain.

The DRC-Uganda outbreak poses a public health risk to othercountries, with some cases of an international spread alreadydocumented, the agency said, advising countries to activatetheir national disaster and emergency-management mechanisms andundertake cross-border screening and screening at main internalroads.

In Uganda's capital, Kampala, two apparently unrelatedlaboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, were reportedon Friday and Saturday, from people travelling from the DRC, theWHO said.

A laboratory-confirmed case was also reported in the DRCcapital, Kinshasa, from a person returning from Ituri, the WHOsaid.

Bundibugyo virus-disease contacts or cases should not travelinternationally, unless as part of a medical evacuation, the WHOsaid.

The agency advised immediately isolating confirmed cases andmonitoring contacts daily, with restricted national travel andno international travel until 21 days after exposure.

At the same time, the WHO urged countries not to close theirborders or restrict travel and trade out of fear, as this couldlead to people and goods making informal border crossings thatare not monitored.

The DRC's dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir forthe Ebola virus.

The often-fatal virus, which causes fever, body aches,vomiting and diarrhoea, spreads through direct contact with thebodily fluids of infected persons, contaminated materials orpersons who have died from the disease, according to the AfricaCentres for Disease Control and Prevention.