signal · indexed from WHO Disease Outbreak News

Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo

WHO Disease Outbreak News

Published

08 Oct 2026

On 5 October 2026, WHO was informed about a laboratory-confirmed imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) in Kenya with travel history from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The patient travelled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Kenya through Uganda. The patient was hospitalized and treated in Kenya but subsequently died on 5 October. Public health response measures have been initiated in Kenya and Uganda, including contact tracing. Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 25 September 2026, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded to one additional health zone, Alimbongo health zone in North Kivu, adding to the geographic footprint of an outbreak that remains concentrated in the eastern part of the country. As of 6 October 2026, the country has recorded 8728 confirmed cases and 4205 confirmed deaths, corresponding to a crude case fatality ratio (CFR) of 48.2%. The cases have been reported from 64 health zones across seven provinces out of 26 provinces of the country: Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Sud Ubangi and Tshopo. At the national level, transmission remains intense, although the burden is unevenly distributed. In some areas, there are clear signs that the epidemic is slowing down, although in others it continues to grow. Over the past three completed epidemiological weeks, new weekly cases nationwide have increased by 2.5% from 475 to 487, while new weekly deaths remain stable at 224 compared to 222. The persistently high mortality, together with the large number of deaths occurring outside treatment centres, continues to point to delays in identifying illness and reaching appropriate care. Since the last Disease Outbreak News, 264 of the 372 reported deaths occurred in communities and 108 in treatment centres. On 1 October, the Netherlands reported the medical evacuation of a healthcare worker who tested positive by PCR for Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the time of reporting, the patient has been undergoing treatment in the Netherlands.