Ebola
An outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus is currently underway in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with cases also reported in Uganda. The World Health Organization declared this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in May 2026, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) subsequently declared it a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on 18 May 2026. Bundibugyo is a rare cause of Ebola, related to the more familiar Zaire Ebola strain responsible for most previous outbreaks. There is currently no readily available rapid diagnostic test, no treatment, and no vaccine for this strain, meaning that public health containment measures remain the only line of defence.
While the outbreak is concentrated in the DRC and Uganda, imported cases of Ebola in South Africa are a possibility and there is a need to prepare now. CAPRISA is actively engaged in the response to this outbreak: CAPRISA Director Prof Salim S. Abdool Karim chairs the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group, whose recommendations underpinned the continental emergency declaration, and serves as Special Advisor to the Director-General of the World Health Organization. CAPRISA will also be collating data to inform the regional response. The resources here provide further information on the virus, the current situation, and the response.
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LATEST: Ebola epidemic in the DRC: My observations & reflections by Professor Salim Abdool Karim. This follows Professor Abdool Karim's trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on behalf of the Africa CDC, in June 2026. Access the full report in PDF here. Access the full report in PowerPoint here.
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The World Health Organisation declared Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It's recommendations on how countries should respond is available here: https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2026-epidemic-of-ebola-disease-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-uganda-determined-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern
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The Africa CDC declared this outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain a public health emergency of continental concern. It releases situation reports on cases which are available here: https://africacdc.org/download/situation-report-bundibugyo-virus-disease-outbreak-in-the-drc-and-uganda/
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The NICD has issued important guidance on reporting and testing for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebolavirus. https://www.nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-index/bundibugyo-virus-disease/
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The US CDC is aggregating data from Ministries of Health in the DRC and Uganda to provide updated figures on the outbreak. The latest figures released are available here: https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/situation-summary/index.html
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Urgent need for a reliable rapid diagnostic test for the Ebola epidemic caused by Bundibugyo virus in Africa. The Lancet. Safura Abdool Karim, Sharana Mahomed, Lara Lewis, Salim Abdool Karim
Media Interviews
- Urgent Global Virus Network Media Briefing: Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- TRT World - Race to contain rare Ebola strain in war-torn DRC
- Sky News - Ebola Outbreak. Who declares international emergency?
- Newzroom Afrika - South Africa urged to be alert for possible virus outbreak
- SABC News 404 - WHO declares Ebola outbreak a global health emergency
Print Articles
These graphs track the confirmed cases and confirmed deaths of Bundibugyo ebolavirus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda based on data reported by the World Health Organization, the Africa CDC, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the European CDC, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health in Uganda. Given the limited availability of data, we are aggregating data from multiple sources.
Analysis: CAPRISA
For inquiries, contact outbreaks@caprisa.org