Ebola has killed at least 80 people in eastern Congo and crossed into Uganda’s capital. The WHO declared a global health emergency on Sunday. No vaccine exists for this strain.
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The World Health Organisation on Sunday declared an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). However, the WHO said the outbreak did not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency.
As of May 16, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths have been reported in Ituri Province of the DRC, across at least three health zones; Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.
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By Saturday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected and 13 confirmed cases. Four people have died among the confirmed cases.
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The suspected index case is a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia. The case dates back to April 24. The first cases were reported in Mongwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area, according to Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya.
This is Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the disease first emerged in the country in 1976.
Two laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, with no apparent link to each other were reported in Kampala, Uganda, on May 15 and 16, 2026. Both individuals had travelled from the DRC.
On May 16, a further confirmed case was reported in Kinshasa, DRC, in a person returning from Ituri. The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo.
No other local case has been confirmed in Uganda.
The Bundibugyo virus has been responsible for only two previous Ebola outbreaks. One, in Uganda in 2007, resulted in 55 cases. The other, in Congo in 2012, resulted in 57 cases.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this strain of Ebola. Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease is rare, but severe and often fatal.
At least four deaths among healthcare workers in Ituri have been reported. Symptoms were consistent with viral haemorrhagic fever, raising concerns about hospital-based transmission and gaps in infection prevention.
Eight of the first 13 samples tested came back positive, a high positivity rate. Suspected cases have spread across Ituri and North Kivu. The ongoing insecurity, humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, and a large network of informal healthcare facilities compound the risk of spread.
Kenya said Saturday there is only a “moderate risk of importation” of the virus due to regional travel. The Kenyan government said it has formed an Ebola preparedness team and strengthened surveillance at all points of entry.
The Africa CDC said it is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.
The United States has been the single largest external player in Ebola outbreak response in the past. Experts are worried about the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to US foreign aid on the response capacity.
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