Ebola (Bundibugyo) outbreak

What happened

Ebola disease is caused by viruses of the genus Ebolavirus. This outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, one of the species in that genus, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). WHO declared it a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 17 May 2026, and the Emergency Committee meeting of 18 August 2026 confirmed it was still a PHEIC. Since 2009 there have been nine PHEIC declarations; this is the ninth, and one of only two active now (the other is poliovirus).

The scale is what makes this outbreak stand out. As of 1 November 2026 the DRC had recorded 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths — 472 more cases and 239 more deaths than the previous report (UKHSA, “Outbreaks under monitoring”, week 44, published 5 November 2026, summarising WHO). That makes it the largest recorded Bundibugyo outbreak and the second-largest Ebola outbreak of any kind to date. Cases have been reported in eight provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, South-Ubangi, North-Ubangi, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo.

Where it has spread

Imported cases have travelled beyond the DRC. Kenya reported 9 cases and 2 deaths, and Nigeria reported 1 case, who was evacuated to Switzerland. WHO assesses the risk as very high inside the DRC, high for bordering countries, and low globally — and low for the UK (UKHSA, week 44). A separate Ebola outbreak in Uganda was declared over on 27 August 2026; it is not part of this outbreak.

How Ebola spreads, in general terms

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person who is ill with Ebola, or with objects contaminated with those fluids, and through contact with infected animals in an outbreak area. It does not spread through the air in the way measles or influenza do. The standard public-health precautions in an affected area are: avoid contact with sick people and their bodily fluids, practise hand hygiene with soap and water or sanitiser, avoid contact with dead bodies and burial practices that involve touching the body, and seek care promptly if symptoms appear after travel to an affected area — telling the health worker about the travel. Anyone who has been in an affected area should follow the guidance of the local health authority, which is the source that knows the local situation.

What this page is not

This page is awareness only. It does not diagnose, treat or advise any individual, and it does not carry a live case count. The numbers above are a snapshot dated 1 November 2026 from UKHSA’s weekly summary of WHO data; the next weekly check may move them. If you need the newest figures, the WHO Disease Outbreak News listing and the UKHSA weekly “Outbreaks under monitoring” page are the official sources, and both are linked in Sources. For general preparation, the Emergency Preparedness Checklist on this site covers household readiness without duplicating outbreak guidance.

The outbreak in brief

Ebola disease is caused by viruses of the genus Ebolavirus. This outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). WHO declared it a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May 2026, and it is one of only two PHEICs still active — the other is poliovirus. Cases have been reported in eight provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, South-Ubangi, North-Ubangi, Haut-Uele, Bas-Uele and Tshopo, with Ituri province the epicentre.

Imported cases have travelled beyond the DRC: Kenya reported 9 cases and 2 deaths, and Nigeria reported 1 case, who was evacuated to Switzerland. WHO assesses the risk as very high inside the DRC, high for bordering countries, and low globally. A separate Ebola outbreak in Uganda was declared over on 27 August 2026; it is not part of this outbreak. The full picture of the outbreak — how Ebola spreads, and what the precautions are — is in the paired guide, Ebola (Bundibugyo) outbreak. This guide covers what is new in November 2026: the toll, the vaccines, and the trial.

The death toll, and why different sources give different numbers

The headline figure on this page is 5,126 confirmed deaths as of 1 November 2026, from the WHO public table — “more than 10,500 confirmed cases and 5,126 deaths”, as reported by UN News on 5 November 2026. The UKHSA weekly summary of the same WHO data, week 44 (published 5 November 2026), gives the same toll with the precise case count: 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths. That makes this the largest recorded Bundibugyo outbreak and the second-largest Ebola outbreak of any kind to date.

Other sources give different numbers, and the differences are real, not rounding:

• DRC situation report N°169, dated 30 October 2026, restated the Ituri deaths and raised the national toll to 5,372.
• DRC situation report N°170, dated 31 October 2026 — the next day — printed 5,103, with no explanation for the change.
• Africa CDC cited 10,444 cases and more than 5,300 deaths in early November 2026.

This page uses the WHO public-table figure (5,126 deaths as of 1 November 2026) as its headline because it is the newest dated figure from the WHO table, and shows the others alongside it, dated. It does not average them and does not pick one silently. The toll is revised daily as reports are checked and corrected, and the next weekly summary may move it again. For the newest figures, the WHO Disease Outbreak News listing and the UKHSA weekly “Outbreaks under monitoring” page are the official sources, and both are linked in Sources.

Is there a vaccine for Bundibugyo Ebola?

No. As of November 2026 there is no licensed Bundibugyo-specific vaccine. That is the gap the Tumaini trial exists to close.

What does exist is Ervebo, a vaccine licensed for Zaire ebolavirus — a different species of the same genus. It is being tested in the Tumaini trial to determine whether it protects against Bundibugyo virus as well. And on 4 November 2026, WHO’s independent Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccines Prioritization recommended two vaccines built specifically for Bundibugyo virus for further clinical evaluation: ChAdOx1, developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India, and mRNA-1469, developed by Moderna. This is the first time vaccines specifically designed for Bundibugyo virus will be evaluated during an outbreak. Both enter the trial following national approvals — WHO has not said when those will come.

The Tumaini trial

Tumaini — Swahili for “hope” — is a multi-vaccine trial launched on 23 October 2026 in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the epicentre of the outbreak. It is designed to test multiple vaccine candidates within a single trial, using a ring-vaccination approach that enrols the contacts of people with confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease — the strategy WHO and partners pioneered during the West Africa Ebola outbreak a decade ago, when a trial in Guinea established the efficacy of the Ervebo vaccine.

The trial is led by the DRC’s Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, with the University of Antwerp, WHO, Epicentre, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, alongside the DRC Ministry of Health and the Institut National de Santé Publique. Four vaccination rings have been set up and several more are being prepared.

Results from the vaccine trial are expected in early 2027. A separate WHO-supported treatment trial is assessing potential treatments, including monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs, with initial findings expected in the coming months. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stressed that vaccines alone will not end the outbreak — but that they could become a powerful new tool for bringing it under control.

Flying to the United States: the CDC attestation

The outbreak has also changed the rules for flying to the United States. Under a CDC order signed on 22 October 2026 and amended on 28 October, every person on a flight to the United States from a foreign airport must attest that they were not present in the DRC in the previous 21 days — passengers, crew and US citizens alike, including connecting passengers and crew travelling off duty. The requirement applies from 23:59 Eastern Time on 3 November 2026, covers transit through a DRC airport, and runs through 18 December 2026, unless the CDC changes or ends it sooner.

Airlines must verify the attestation before boarding, deny boarding to anyone who does not complete it, and retain copies for at least 42 days. The 21-day window reflects the maximum incubation period for Ebola disease: day 0 is the day a person leaves the DRC, and a person may board a US-bound flight beginning on day 22. The CDC says the overall risk to the American public remains low. The order is a boarding rule, not a health judgement about any individual traveller — and because it expires on 18 December 2026, its status should be checked with the CDC before flying.

What this page is, and when it goes out of date

The section below is the dated 2026 picture, merged from the retired 2026 page on 7 November 2026. Its figures are snapshots dated 1 November 2026, its vaccine news is dated 4–5 November 2026, and its travel rule expires on 18 December 2026. The death toll is revised daily, the trial will add candidates as national approvals land, and the attestation order may be changed or ended before its expiry date. This page carries no live case count and is re-checked weekly while the public health emergency is active. For the wider snapshot of what is happening now, read pandemics happening now; for what a public health emergency of international concern is, read what is a PHEIC?.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Ebola outbreak a pandemic?

No. It is a public health emergency of international concern, declared 17 May 2026. WHO has formally declared a pandemic only twice in the modern era, H1N1 in 2009 and COVID-19 in 2020.

Has Ebola spread outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Imported cases reached Kenya (9 cases, 2 deaths) and Nigeria (1 case, evacuated to Switzerland). Uganda's separate outbreak was declared over on 27 August 2026.

How often is this page updated?

Weekly while the public health emergency is active. Figures are dated snapshots from UKHSA and WHO, never a live count.