With over 80 dead and more than 300 infected, the World Health Organisation has declared Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a Health Emergency of international concern.
The WHO has warned that a rare virus strain with no approved vaccine or treatment may already be spreading more widely than detected.
The outbreak caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus met the threshold for its highest level of alarm under international health regulations because of cross-border transmission, unexplained clusters of deaths and major uncertainty about the scale of the epidemic, the WHO said Sunday.
However, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency, as defined in the International Health Regulations (IHR).
The Spreading
According to WHO, by 16 May 2026, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths had been reported in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo across at least three health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
In addition, two laboratory confirmed cases (including one death) with no apparent link to each other have been reported in Kampala, Uganda, within 24 hours of each other, on 15 and 16 May 2026, among two individuals travelling from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A further case reported on 16 May, an individual returning from Ituri to Kinshasa, has tested negative for Bundibugyo virus on confirmatory testing by INRB, and is therefore not considered a confirmed case.
Meanwhile, unusual clusters of community deaths with symptoms compatible with Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) have been reported across several health zones in Ituri, and suspected cases have been reported across Ituri and North Kivu.
