The World Health Organization declared this weekend that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a global health emergency. 

The announcement comes after African health authorities on Friday reported that dozens are suspected to have died from the virus. The authorities have attributed 80 deaths to the virus, though only eight of those have been definitely linked, through laboratory testing, to Ebola, The New York Times reported. 

The scale of the outbreak could be far larger than what's been reported, the WHO said.

By declaring an emergency, the WHO defines the outbreak as a public health risk and triggers a coordinated international response. Member countries are prompted to prepare for possible new cases and share resources to stop the spread of the disease.