2026 DRC Ebola Outbreak

Overview

On May 5, 2026, the World Health Organization was alerted to a cluster of severe illnesses and deaths in the Mongbwalu Health Zone of Ituri Province, northeastern DRC. Laboratory analysis confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, and on May 15 the DRC Ministry of Health officially declared an outbreak. The virus spread rapidly across Ituri's 18 health zones as well as into North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, with cross-border transmission confirmed in Uganda by late May. On May 17, WHO Director-General declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — only the seventh PHEIC in WHO history. As of June 9, 2026, the DRC Ministry of Health reported 635 confirmed cases and 127 confirmed deaths in-country; Uganda had recorded 19 confirmed cases including two deaths. The case fatality rate among confirmed cases stood at approximately 17%. Health authorities deployed contact tracers, ring vaccination teams, and isolation units across affected zones, while international partners including WHO, CDC, MSF, and the Red Cross established emergency coordination. Community resistance to health measures, insecurity in parts of Ituri, and porous borders with Uganda and South Sudan complicated containment efforts. The outbreak represented the first major Bundibugyo virus resurgence since the 2007–2008 DRC outbreak that killed over 30% of confirmed cases.