Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak in Ituri Province, DRC

On the 15th May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined the current outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo Virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

As of 16 May 2026, eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths have 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. On 16 May, a laboratory confirmed case has also been reported in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among someone returning from Ituri.

Ongoing insecurity, humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, the urban or semi-urban nature of the current hotspot and the large network of informal healthcare facilities compound the risk of spread, as was witnessed during the large Ebola virus disease epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in 2018-19.

Unlike for Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines.

This collection brings together SSHAP resources featuring social science insights from previous Ebola outbreaks – primarily concerning the Ebola-Zaire and Sudan Virus strains – in DRC, Uganda, and elsewhere to help inform the response, across pillars, to the current outbreak.