In May 2026, an epidemic of Ebola was reported in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Imported cases from Ituri have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital city of Kinshasa and the North Kivu Province, as well as in Uganda's capital city of Kampala.
| 2026 Ituri Province Ebola epidemic | |
|---|---|
_-_Ituri.svg) Ituri province, where the epidemic was first identified | |
| Disease | Ebola |
| Pathogen | Bundibugyo virus |
| Location | Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda |
| First reported | 15 May 2026 |
| Confirmed cases | 12 |
| Suspected cases‡ | 336 |
Deaths | 89 |
The epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which complicates response efforts as existing vaccines and treatments are for the Zaire ebolavirus.[1] It was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on 17 May,[2] at which point 89 deaths, 12 confirmed cases, and 336 suspected cases have been reported.[3]
Background
editThere have been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo virus, one in Bundibugyo District of Uganda in 2007 and 2008, from which it got its name, and another in 2012 in Isiro in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus is estimated to have a fatality rate between 30 and 40%.[4]
Events
editThe earliest suspected case of the epidemic was a man who began experiencing symptoms on 24 April 2026 and died three days later.[5] The WHO was alerted to a potential Ebola outbreak on 5 May 2026 and it dispatched a response team.[6] Initial samples tested negative for Ebola as the tests used only detect Zaire ebolavirus, not the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Tests that detect the Bundibugyo ebolavirus were later used, with the first positive tests being confirmed on 14 May 2026.[7]
Congolese health authorities confirmed hundreds of cases of Ebola virus disease in Ituri Province on 15 May 2026.[6] Health experts were alarmed that the outbreak had progressed to have hundreds of suspected cases by the time it was first reported. Epidemiologist Jennifer Nuzzo speculated that the delay in detection could be a result of cuts to global health programs.[7] By 16 May 2026, three health zones in Ituri (Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu) had confirmed or suspected cases; cases were also confirmed in the DRC’s capital, Kinshasa, and the Ugandan capital Kampala.[8]
On 17 May 2026, the WHO declared the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern. In the declaration, 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 eastern DRC, the WHO was unable to ascertain the geographic spread of the epidemic or true number of infections.[8] (Health authorities also confirmed a positive case in Goma, a city in North Kivu Province that is currently under control by the March 23 Movement, after a woman infected with Ebola travelled there from Ituri.)[9]
According to Stat, multiple United States citizens are suspected of being exposed to Ebola, with at least one potentially developing symptoms. The US government is reportedly working to arrange transport out of the DRC for exposed Americans so they can receive care under quarantine.[10]
Treatment
editThere is no approved vaccine or medicine for the Bundibugyo strain.[11] Experimental vaccines have been tested on macaques.[12]
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has teams in the area and is planning to mobilise more resources to fight the epidemic.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Beth Mole (16 May 2026). "Ebola outbreak with uncommon strain erupts in Congo and Uganda; 65 deaths". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 16 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Lay, Kat (17 May 2026). "WHO says Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda is 'emergency' of international concern". The Guardian.
- ↑ "Ebola Disease: Current Situation". CDC. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "What we know about latest Ebola outbreak and rare Bundibugyo strain". The Independent. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda". Associated Press. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Congo confirms new Ebola outbreak, 80 deaths". Reuters. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- 1 2 Bigg, Matthew Mpoke; Mandavilli, Apoorva (15 May 2026). "Large Ebola Outbreak Is Declared in Congo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern". World Health Organization. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, Uganda a global health emergency". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Branswell, Helen (17 May 2026). "In Ebola outbreak, a number of Americans in the Congo believed to have had exposure to suspected cases". Stat. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Lupkin, Sydney (16 May 2026). "A new Ebola outbreak has already killed 87 people in Democratic Republic of Congo". NPR. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Mire, Chad E.; Geisbert, Joan B.; Marzi, Andrea; Agans, Krystle N.; Feldmann, Heinz; Geisbert, Thomas W. (19 December 2013). "Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Based Vaccines Protect Nonhuman Primates against Bundibugyo ebolavirus". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 7 (12): e2600. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002600. ISSN 1935-2735. PMC 3868506. PMID 24367715.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link) - ↑ "MSF preparing large-scale response to Ebola outbreak in Ituri province". Médecins Sans Frontières. Retrieved 17 May 2026.