2026 Central Africa Ebola epidemic
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In May 2026, an epidemic[3] of Ebola was reported in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC and only five months after the end of the previous outbreak.[4] Imported cases from Ituri have been reported in North Kivu Province, as well as in Uganda's capital city of Kampala. A case in South Kivu was also reported to have been imported from Tshopo province on 21 May.
| 2026 Central Africa Ebola epidemic | |
|---|---|
A map of reported cases as of 25 May 2026 | |
| Disease | Ebola |
| Pathogen | Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) |
| Location | Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda |
| WHO status | Public health emergency of international concern |
| First reported | 15 May 2026 |
| Confirmed cases | 225 (as of 29 May 2026)[1] |
| Suspected cases | 1,037 (as of 29 May 2026)[2] |
Deaths | 241 (as of 28 May 2026)[2] |
The epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which may complicate response efforts as existing Ebola treatments were created for a different strain, the Zaire ebolavirus.[5] The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 16 May 2026. As of 29 May 2026, 1,262 suspected and confirmed cases and at least 241 deaths had been reported.[2][6][7][8] It is considered likely that the true number of infections could considerably exceed the suspected cases.[9]
Background
There have been 16 known previous outbreaks of Ebola in the DRC.[4] There have been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo virus (BDBV),[10] one in Bundibugyo District of Uganda in 2007 and 2008, from which it got its name, and another in 2012 in Isiro in the DRC.[11] The virus is estimated to have a fatality rate between 25% and 50%.[12]
There is no approved vaccine or medicine specifically for the Bundibugyo virus.[13] Experimental vaccines have been tested on macaques.[14] Experts have discussed the possibility of using the vaccine approved for Zaire ebolavirus, Ervebo, for Bundibugyo ebola patients. An animal study suggests that it may be partially effective against the Bundibugyo virus, but there are concerns around the effectiveness and safety of a vaccine designed for a different virus.[15][unreliable medical source?]
The outbreak began in Ituri,[16] an area that has seen a recent resurgence of a decades-old ethnic conflict. Neighboring provinces have also been affected by the conflict between DR Congo and Rwanda. Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu are experiencing a humanitarian crisis with 1.9 million people in need of aid.[17] Large scale refugee movements and cross-border travel, as well as mining-related travel, complicate efforts to contact trace people who are positive. Healthcare workers have been also been attacked. Additionally, Ituri's status as a commercial and migratory hub greatly increases the risk of diseases spreading to the broader region.[18]
Epidemiology
Ebola viruses are endemic to Central and West Africa, where bats are often reservoir hosts, although this has not been confirmed for this species of the virus. The virus can infect other mammals that prey on bats, and can pass to humans who have contact with infected bats, carcasses, or bushmeat.[19][20]
Timeline of the outbreak
The origin of this outbreak is unknown. Initially, the earliest known suspected case in Ituri was a man who began experiencing symptoms on 24 April 2026 and died three days later.[21] However, on 23 May, the Red Cross announced that three workers who died between 5 and 16 May are believed to have contracted Ebola on 27 March during dead body management activities in Mongwalu before the outbreak had been identified.[22][23] The WHO was alerted to the potential Ebola outbreak in Ituri on 5 May and it dispatched a response team.[24] Initial samples tested negative for Ebola as the tests only detected Zaire ebolavirus, not the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Tests that detected the Bundibugyo ebolavirus were later used, with the first positive tests confirmed on 14 May.[25]
On 15 May 2026, the Congolese Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare publicly confirmed the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Ituri Province, including 246 suspected cases.[24][26] By 16 May, the three health zones of Bunia, Mongwalu and Rwampara in Ituri had confirmed or suspected cases. Cases were also confirmed in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, and the Ugandan capital Kampala.[3]
On 16 May 2026, the WHO announced eight laboratory-confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus in Ituri, one confirmed case in Kinshasa, and two confirmed cases in Kampala. Furthermore, given the unusual clusters of suspected cases appearing across multiple parts of the eastern DRC, the WHO was unable to ascertain the geographic spread of the epidemic or the true number of infections.[3]
On 17 May, health authorities confirmed a positive case in Goma, a city in North Kivu Province that is under the control of the March 23 Movement, after a woman infected with Ebola travelled there from Ituri.[27] The WHO said on 17 May that the case previously reported in Kinshasa had tested negative on further testing.[28]
On 18 May, cases were identified in Butembo, a city in North Kivu Province that was an epicenter of the Kivu Ebola epidemic, as well as in Nyakunde health zone in Ituri.[29][30] On 18 May, WHO reported that the DRC had 516 suspected cases and 131 deaths, in addition to 33 confirmed cases and four confirmed deaths in four health zones in Ituri Province and three health zones in North Kivu Province. Uganda had two confirmed cases and one confirmed death in Kampala.[30]
On 21 May, a Congo River Alliance spokesperson said a patient that died in a rural area near the capital of Bukavu in South Kivu was confirmed to have Ebola, and that the patient had travelled to the province from the capital of Kisangani in Tshopo province.[31]
On 22 May, the WHO upgraded its risk level of Ebola in the DRC to "very high," while its regional risk remained "high" and its global risk remained low.[32]
Statistics of different countries
Healthcare response
As no licensed specific treatment of vaccine exists for Bundibugyo virus disease, the WHO said on 19 May, "Response strategies will rely heavily on comprehensive public health measures, including supportive care, early case detection, stringent infection prevention and control protocols, rigorous contact tracing, safe burial practices, and deep community engagement."[36]
Containment efforts took place in a highly unstable part of eastern DR Congo, where conflict involving armed groups such as the ADF, CODECO and Rwanda-backed M23 had long restricted humanitarian access.[37] Fighting and restrictions by armed groups also obstructed aid operations, curtailed civilian movement and limited access to essential services.[37]
On 16 May 2026, the WHO declared the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern.[18] The same day, Médecins Sans Frontières announced that it has teams in the area and is planning to mobilise more resources to fight the epidemic.[38]
As of 18 May 2026, health authorities in the DRC established field hospitals in Ituri's capital, Bunia, after hospitals in the city became overwhelmed. Authorities were working to bring supplies into the region.[6]
On 18 May, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control announced that they would send experts to the region to assist in managing the response to the epidemic.[39]
On 21 May, The Guardian described the US as "notably absent in these efforts", due to the end of USAID, reductions in US health agencies, and cancellation of research by the second Trump administration.[40] Leaving the World Health Organisation had resulted in major reductions in the agency's capabilities.[40]
Other developments
On 17 May, following the WHO's declaration of the Ebola epidemic as a global emergency, Hong Kong authorities activated its Ebola preparedness and response plan, increased health screening for travellers arriving from Africa, advised against non-essential travel to those affected areas, and prepared the Penny's Bay Community Isolation Facility on Lantau Island for possible isolation of suspected imported cases.[41][42]
On 18 May, Peter Stafford, an American physician working in the DRC as a Christian missionary, tested positive for Ebola; his wife and children were then monitored but were asymptomatic at the time.[43] On 19 May, the CDC announced that he was in transit to Germany for treatment.[44]
On 18 May, a group of Ugandans attended a burial in the eastern DRC and returned to Uganda. Some developed symptoms of Ebola and have been taken to Fort Portal for treatment.[45]
On 19 May, the Ugandan government temporarily banned handshakes, hugs, and unnecessary physical contact.[46] The DR Congo national football team cancelled parts of its pre-2026 FIFA World Cup training camp that was originally scheduled to take place in May in Kinshasa but the team still plans to travel to Europe and then Texas before the World Cup begins.[47]
On 21 May, residents protested in Rwampara, near Bunia in the DRC's Ituri Province, after relatives tried to take the body of a young man whom they claimed had died of typhoid fever instead of Ebola. Police officers fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse the crowd, and some of the protesters set two tents on fire, in which patients were being treated for Ebola by a medical charity. Police and military reinforcements later arrived and restored order.[48][49][50]
On 23 May, eighteen suspected Ebola patients escaped a treatment center and returned to the community in Mongbwalu, DRC, after local residents attacked and burned a tent.[51]
International response
Africa
Egypt: The country is increasing surveillance and has no confirmed cases.[52]
Gabon: The country stepped up its health surveillance.[53][54]
Ghana: On 19 May, an Ebola Alert was issued by Ghana Health Service and Health Ministry.[55]
Kenya: The country had 3 cases that were suspected, but all tested negative.[56][57]
Libya: On 24 May, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said they had not found any cases.[58]
Morocco: The country has been urged to step up its surveillance.[59]
Nigeria: On 24 May, the country intensified surveillance of Ebola.[60]
Mauritania: on May 26th, The Government of Mauritania has activated emergency surveillance. [61]
Rwanda: On 22 May, the country introduced a mandatory quarantine for returning travellers from the DRC.[62]
Somalia: The country issued a nationwide public health warning and strengthened its emergency preparedness measures.[63]
Tanzania: The country has said that it has tightened border checks, and increased monitoring at airports and seaports.[64]
Uganda: On 27 May, the country closed its borders with DRC for at least four weeks after it reported seven cases and a death. Anyone entering the country from DRC would also have to be isolated for 21 days.[65]
Asia
Hong Kong: On 19 May, a quarantine facility was set up at Lantau Island for suspected Ebola cases.[66] On 21 May, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced to issue Red Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo based on public health considerations. Hong Kong residents are advised to avoid non-essential travel to the country.[67]
India: On 21 May, the Ministry of Health released an emergency response plan,[68] and on 24 May, issued a public advisory against non-essential travel to affected countries.[69] From 22 May, in the state of Kerala, passengers from the affected countries requires a mandatory health surveillance up to 21 days. The state has strengthened passenger screening for all international travellers and arranged isolation environments.[70][71]
Israel: on May 28, The country has said there are no confirmed cases, and urged the public to avoid non-essential travel to areas where there is an outbreak.[72]
Indonesia: The country has enhanced health monitoring at all entry points.[73]
Japan: On 18 May, the Japan Institute for Health Security said the risk was considered low to the Japanese population.[74]
Kuwait: The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health has advised against travel to the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.[75]
Malaysia: The Ministry of Health monitoring travellers entering the country especially from Uganda and the DRC, including those transiting through international hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Singapore on 20 May.[76]
Maldives: The Health Protection Agency has said they are monitoring the outbreak.[77]
Nepal: The country has started to quarantine some peacekeepers in the DRC, and has almost 1,000 currently in the DRC. It has no plans to rotate these troops and has a mandatory 21-day isolation for them.[78]
Philippines: According to the Department of Health (DOH), there are no cases of Ebola. A travel ban was not recommended to the affected regions, but travellers returning from those regions will receive enhanced screening.[79]
Singapore: On 19 May, the country issued health advisories and encouraged travellers from the affected region to monitor for symptoms for 21 days upon arrival.[80][81]
South Korea: The country will expand its health alert on 26 May to include Ethiopia and Rwanda, on top of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan. The country will also start checking returning travellers' mobile roaming history and data.[82]
Sri Lanka: On 25 May, the risk was considered low, and no cases have been reported locally.[83]
Taiwan: The DRC and Uganda have been placed on a level 2 health alert by the Taiwan CDC.[84]
Thailand: The country imposed a 21-day quarantine order for travellers arriving from DRC and Uganda on 26 May.[85]
UAE: The national airline Emirates has issued a travel advisory.[86]
Vietnam: The country has imposed a 21 day isolation for travelllers from the DRC and Uganda on 26 May.[87]
Europe
Austria: There is an active travel advisory to the DRC and Uganda.[88]
Belgium: On 23 May, the US government told the DR Congo national football team to self-isolate. They are reported to be in isolation in Belgium.[89][90]
France: Measures have been put in place by the government.[91]
Germany: On 20 May, a US doctor who had tested positive for Ebola was evacuated to Germany for treatment. German health officials said the risk of transmission in Europe is low.[92][93]
Ireland: On 19 May, the risk of contracting Ebola was considered low to the Irish population.[94]
Italy: On 19 May, officials activated an emergency response plan in response to Ebola.[95]
Netherlands: On 22 May, a patient who visited the affected areas was hospitalised in the country.[96][97]
Portugal: New screening rules were put in place on 19 May.[98]
Russia: Health minister Mikhail Murashko says that Russia has developed an Ebola vaccine which may be effective for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain; however they have not yet been able to test it against a sample of the virus.[99]
Spain: Health authorities are reviewing possible safety measures ahead of the scheduled football match between Chile and the DRC; the match is scheduled for 9 June, in La Línea de la Concepción, Spain.[100]
United Kingdom: Experts warned of the virus reaching the UK due to concerns about the need for stricter health screenings.[101] A vaccine for Ebola is in development in the UK.[102]
North America
Bahamas: On 21 May, a British Airways flight to the Cayman Islands was diverted to the nation over Ebola concerns.[103]
Canada: On 20 May, the Canadian government stated that a person in Ontario was being tested after travelling to Ethiopia and showing symptoms. They tested negative on 22 May.[104] On 21 May, a flight to Detroit had to land in Canada over a possible case of Ebola after an error in boarding.[105]
Cayman Islands: on 20 May, the islands put in enhanced screening following an Ebola scare on a flight that deverted to the Bahamas. [106]
Costa Rica: On 21 May, the country said it was monitoring the epidemic and that no cases were reported in the Americas.[107]
Guatemala: No peacekeepers have contracted the virus, according to the government, as of 21 May.[108]
Honduras: On 19 May, the country announced it was actively monitoring the situation.[109]
Jamaica: The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) warned that the tourism industry would be impacted if Ebola was not under control.[110]
Mexico: On 21 May, the Mexican Government issued a travel advisory for Ebola.[111]
Panama: The country has an active alert for Ebola.[112]
St. Kitts and Nevis: on 29 May, the country denied 17 Nigerians over a Ebola scare. [113]
United States: On May 15, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued health notices for people traveling to Uganda and to the DRC.[114][115] On May 18, the CDC issued a 30-day prohibition on non-Americans entering the United States who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the preceding 21 days, with limited exceptions.[116][117] On May 21, all returning US citizens and residents from the same three countries were required to enter the United States via Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).[citation needed] On May 22, the travel ban was extended to all green card holders.[118]
Oceania
Australia: The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing issued a health alert for Ebola, and considered it to be low risk.[119]
Fiji: The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has issued a advisory for the affected areas and all countries that shared a land border which included South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Angola, the Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.[120]
South America
Brazil: There is an active alert for Ebola.[121]
Chile: Concerns have been raised in relation to the upcoming World Cup match between it and the DRC in Spain.[122] Experts have warned the country to be on alert.[123]
Colombia: On 20 May, the country issued an alert in relation to an upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup match between it and the DRC.[124]
Peru: Since 2019, there has been an active alert for Ebola.[125]
