THE World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), following rising deaths, infections among health workers, and confirmed cross-border transmission.
The declaration was made on May 16, 2026, by the WHO Director-General after consultations with affected countries and following laboratory confirmation of the outbreak in eastern DRC and imported cases in Uganda.
According to the statement, the outbreak began on May 5, 2026, when health authorities were alerted to a rapidly spreading illness with unusually high mortality in Mongbwalu Health Zone, Ituri Province.
It noted that early reports included deaths among health workers, prompting rapid investigation across Mongbwalu, Rwampara, and Bunia health zones.
It further noted that blood samples collected from affected areas on May 14, 2026, were analysed by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa, where laboratory testing confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) in eight of 13 samples on May 15.
Following confirmation, the DRC Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare officially declared the country’s 17th Ebola disease outbreak.
“This is the 17th Ebola disease outbreak in the DRC since 1976. The last Ebola disease outbreak in the country was declared on 4 September 2025 with total of 64 cases (53 confirmed, 11 probable), including 45 deaths (CFR 70.3%), reported from six health areas in Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province.
“The end of outbreak was declared on 1 December 2025. The last BVD outbreak was reported on 17 August 2012 by the DRC Ministry of Health in Province Orientale. A total of 59 cases, 38 confirmed and 21 probable cases, including 34 deaths were reported. The outbreak was declared over on 26 November 2012 by the MOH,” WHO wrote.
WHO explained that Bundibugyo virus disease is a severe and often fatal form of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a member of the Orthoebolavirus genus. The virus is zoonotic in origin, with fruit bats believed to be the natural reservoir, and transmission to humans occurring through direct contact with infected wildlife or exposure to bodily fluids of infected persons, as well as contaminated surfaces.
The disease spreads further through close contact between individuals, particularly in healthcare settings where infection prevention measures are weak, and during unsafe burial practices.
The organisation noted that the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, during which infected individuals are not yet contagious.
It warned that early symptoms are non-specific and often resemble malaria or other endemic infections, beginning with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, before progressing in severe cases to vomiting, diarrhoea, organ failure and sometimes haemorrhaging.
WHO said this would make early detection difficult without laboratory testing.
In its statement, the global health body stressed that as of May 15, 2026, a total of 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths had been recorded across three health zones in Ituri Province — Rwampara, Mongbwalu and Bunia — with 24 patients in isolation.
The agency also reported that most suspected cases involve people aged between 20 and 39, with women accounting for more than 60 per cent of infections, suggesting significant household and caregiving transmission.
It added that Uganda’s Ministry of Health had also confirmed an outbreak after detecting imported cases linked to DRC, with no local transmission being detected in Uganda so far.
WHO said the outbreak was unfolding in a complex humanitarian and security environment in eastern DRC, where ongoing conflict in Ituri Province is restricting access for surveillance teams and delaying response operations.
The agency noted a four-week gap between the first suspected case and laboratory confirmation, which suggested a low index of suspicion among healthcare workers. It also reported breaches in infection prevention and control (IPC), particularly after several health workers became infected and died.
In addition, WHO said the region faced high population displacement, with more than 273,000 displaced people and nearly 1.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, further complicating outbreak control.
It stressed that there was no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease.
“The case fatality rates in the past two BVD outbreaks have ranged from 30 per cent to 50 per cent. Unlike Ebola virus disease, there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutics against Bundibugyo virus, though early supportive care is lifesaving,” the statement added.
It said management depends entirely on early detection, isolation of cases, aggressive supportive care such as fluid replacement and organ support, strict infection prevention and control in health facilities, safe and dignified burials, and intensive contact tracing for up to 21 days.
